‘Two Run Four’ Kim Tae-yeon on 43rd minute rain interruption: “I tried not to think about it, but I must have looked bad”

Hanwha Eagles’ Kim Tae-yeon made his first start in a long time and had the best birthday ever in the offense.

Hanwha won its second straight game on Tuesday with a 7-0 victory over LG in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon. Kim Tae-yeon, who started at second base and batting second on the day, went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the team to victory.

Kim, who was 6-for-12 with six RBIs against LG starter Lee Min-ho prior to the game, also had a multi-hit game against Lee, including a home run. In her second at-bat, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Kim took a 143 km/h fastball from Lee Min-ho for a two-run home run over the left field fence, and added a single to left in her next at-bat.

“I was very grateful to the fans who sang happy birthday to me in my first at-bat, and I think it made me more focused and determined to repay them with a good performance,” said Kim Tae-yeon, who was celebrating her birthday on June 10. “Against Lee Min-ho, my timing was good before, so I think it was good to go in thinking that I should hit what I can hit with confidence today as well,” she said.

There was also a happy ending, as the game was suspended for 43 minutes due to sudden rain after Kim’s home run. If the rain had continued to fall heavily, Hanwha’s scores, including Kim’s home run, would have been negated. During the stoppage, the on-field cameras showed Kim Tae-yeon, who had a nice smile on her face. Luckily, a rain delay allowed play to resume and the game ended with Hanwha’s victory 메이저놀이터.

When asked how she felt during the interruption, Kim said, “There was a lot of talk. It was raining, it wasn’t raining, it was suddenly 12 millimeters, and the coaches said it was just showers. I thought I was going to play anyway and tried not to think about it as much as possible, but I think I showed a lot of (worry),” he laughed. “I just wanted to get it over with because the team was winning, and it didn’t rain until the end, so it was good to get the win,” he added.

Kim, who was demoted to the second team on June 3 and returned to the first team on June 1, more than a month later, is batting .375 in six games. “I made a lot of adjustments,” Kim said. My confidence was low, so the coaches told me to take a lot of practice and find my confidence, and I think I practiced as much as I could while discussing with Coach Park Yoon what was wrong with my batting form.”

“I think going out there is the coach believing in me and giving me a chance, so I’m just trying to do my best to live up to that,” he said, adding that he plays in a variety of positions and batting orders.