Park Jin-man, head coach of the Samsung Lions in professional baseball, declared that he would ring at least 80 “el Dorado” for fans during the opening game of the 2024 season.
The “El Dorado” that coach Park mentioned is one of the most beloved cheering songs by Samsung fans. It was a song that resonated in the stadium whenever the team won during the Samsung Dynasty, and fans enjoyed the victory by singing along to the song.
In other words, the Eldorado is the symbol of Samsung’s victory. Park has vowed to post at least 80 wins out of 144 games this season.
As Samsung ranked eighth with 61 wins, 82 losses, and one draw last season, it promised better performance than that. “(El Dorado) is a song that we used to listen to during the dynasty,” coach Park said. “We will continue to build a team by taking over the atmosphere of that time.”
In the early part of this season, Samsung failed to win nine consecutive games, struggling at the bottom of the league. However, the reversal started in April. The league’s ranking has jumped to a tie for second place. Samsung has 23 wins, 17 losses and one draw so far.
One of the reasons for the rise is the harmony of the young spirit’s starting lineup and veteran bullpen.
First of all, Won Tae-in, who became the oldest Korean player in the starting rotation, boasts the best ace pitchers in the league by ranking first in multiple wins (five wins) and second in ERA (1.55). In addition, left-hander Lee Seung-hyun, who turned to starting pitcher this year, is showing good pitching with 2-1 loss and an ERA of 1.71. Lee Ho-seong (1 wins, two losses and 4.03 ERA) in his second year is also holding steady opportunities to start.
Won Tae-in said, “I think I became the oldest player (among domestic pitchers) too quickly, so I honestly don’t know what to do,” but added, “I want to bear the burden and make the juniors take the mound in a comfortable situation.”
Coach Park also said with a smile, “We are probably the youngest among the 10 Korean teams except for foreigners.” “With more experience, we won’t have to worry about starting for 10 to 15 years,” he said with confidence.
When they complete their mission, the iron-wall bullpen will tie the game. Lim Chang-min in the seventh inning, Kim Jae-yoon in the eighth inning, and Oh Seung-hwan in the ninth inning take the mound in succession to protect Samsung’s victory.
Among hitters, Kim stands out the most. Kim has recorded nine homers, 46 hits, 26 RBIs and 24 runs in 40 games this season. His batting average is .300 with one run. Even after receiving the duty as cleanup hitter recently, Kim’s bat has not cooled down.
In addition, fielders in their early 20s, including Kim Ji-chan, Kim Jae-sang, Lee Jae-hyun, and Kim Sung-yoon, show lively play. Veteran players, including captain Koo Ja-wook, Kang Min-ho, David McKinnon, and Kim Heon-gon, are playing the role of troubleshooter.
However, there is a task that Samsung must solve in order to make El Dorado ring at least 80 times. It needs to increase its home winning percentage.
This is because the team has displayed quite contrasting performances both at home and away matches so far. Samsung has won 16 games, lost six games and drew one tie, ranking first in away matches among the 10 teams. It is also the only team that has an away win rate of over 70 percent (72 percent).
However, Samsung ranked last in home winning percentage. Its home record is seven wins and 11 losses. Of the 10 teams, Samsung is the only team that failed to exceed 40 percent. Its first home win came out on April 14 for the first time.
Currently, Samsung is tying for second and is eying the top spot in the league. From Friday to Sunday, it will play three consecutive games during the week against the SSG Landers, away from Munhak. On weekends, it plans to invite the Hanwha Eagles to its home ground to continue its competition.
BY: 사설토토