The Doosan Bears are on a 10-game winning streak, tying a franchise record set in 2005. A steady two-hitter, a stable pitching staff that led the team in ERA (1.78) and batting average (0.290) in July, and increased depth are paying off. After entering the break with a nine-game winning streak in July, the team won its first game of the second half with a 5-2 victory over the Gwangju KIA Tigers on July 21 to extend its winning streak to 10 games.
In the process of Doosan’s 10-game winning streak, there has been a remarkable performance from the flip side of the coin, infielder Park Jun-young (26). After being called up to the first team for the first time this season on July 7, Park has been on fire in five games, batting .467 (7-for-15) with one home run, eight RBIs and a .500 slugging percentage. He played 26 innings at third base and 10 innings at shortstop, solving the team’s infield rotation woes.
Park joins the Doosan organization as compensation for catcher Se-hyuk Park, who left for the NC Dinos as a free agent prior to the season. Park joined NC as a pitcher in the 2016 rookie class, but after undergoing elbow surgery and being converted to a hitter, he made his presence felt in 218 games for the first team, so the move to Doosan was highly anticipated.
However, the wait was longer than expected. He underwent shoulder surgery in October last year and had to undergo rehabilitation. He made his debut in the Futures (second division) league on May 19, but it was a long time before he was ready for the first team again.
Park had already established himself in the first team, so it was understandable that he would be impatient with the long wait. In the early stages of his second season, he had a lot of trouble handling the outside course, which hurt his confidence. However, he put aside his impatience and worked tirelessly with the second team coaching staff to create an optimal swing trajectory.
Doosan’s Park Jun-young. Sports Donga DB안전놀이터
“He had power and turned the bat well, but he didn’t have a swing plane on the outside,” said Lee Jung-hoon, Doosan’s second team coach. “He had power, so he could hit long balls when he got stuck, and his bat speed was as good as the first team players. In practice, we tried to get him to consistently hit the ball to the right-center field, and we tried to give him a swing path that would allow him to hit the outside ball. He has a lot of potential, so it was important for him to adapt quickly.” Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “He worked hard in the second team training sessions. If he develops patience with bad pitches, he will be a very good player.”
Park Jun-young said, “There was no impatience. “I wanted to prepare myself perfectly and come up (to the first team),” he said. “Luckily, I came up when the team was on a winning streak and I was in good shape, so it gave me more confidence. I got a lot of help from talking to coach Lee Jung-hoon, Lee Do-hyung, and hitting coach Lee Young-soo,” he said. “I think this transfer is a turning point in my baseball life. I don’t think of any other goal than to play in the first team consistently without getting injured, and to contribute to the team’s fall baseball and championship.”