“I gave you something you don’t use…” “You gave (Yoo) Kangnam a gold axe!”
‘8 Billion Catcher’안전놀이터Yoo Kang-nam is back in action. He blew away the frustration of his career with the bat of his enemy and friend, Koo Ja-roo.
It’s the 6th at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan. The Samsung Lions dugout on the third base side was bustling. After the previous day’s game, Yoo Kang-nam said, “I hit a home run with a bat gifted to me by Koo Ja-rook.” Coincidentally, Koo, who was having a hot August with a batting average of 4.1-1.2 (35 for 85), four home runs and 19 RBIs, had gone 0-for-4 the day before.
“I can’t even call it my bat,” the “Lions Captain” said, throwing up his hands.
“I didn’t use it (the bat he gave me) because it didn’t fit me well after a few times. My friend asked me for a bat, so I gave him a spare bat that was two years old (as a joke).”
The 2023 KBO League game between the Samsung Lions and KT Wiz took place on July 31 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea. Samsung’s Kang Min-ho takes the field for warm-ups before the game. Suwon=Heo Sang-wook 기자wook@sportschosun.com/2023.08.31/
Veteran catcher Kang Min-ho couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “That was a golden opportunity. You should have used it, why did you throw it away to the other team?” he said.
It’s true that Guzau’s bat helped Yoo Kang-nam hit a three-run homer and a two-run double, his first in 44 days since July 22 against the Busan Kiwoom Heroes. The team’s mood, which had been turbulent with the recent change of manager, also changed at once.
“Yoo Kang-nam and I are close friends. I usually carry a lot of bats with me. When we saw each other for a while and parted ways, he said, ‘I just want one bat,’ so I gave him one that I don’t use,” he reiterated.
“If I hit well today, we’ll see how the interview goes,” he laughed.
The 2023 KBO League game between the Lotte Giants and Samsung Lions was held at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on May 5. Lotte’s leadoff hitter Yoo Kang-nam catches his breath after hitting a single in the third inning. Ulsan=Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.09.05/
On this day, Koo Ja-rook moved to left field for the first time in three years since 2020. Recently, right fielder Kim Sung-yoon has been swinging the bat. His shoulder is as good as his pitching. The team believes that it would be beneficial for Koo to focus on the offense and relieve the burden of defense in left field after last year’s slump. Samsung coach Park Jin-man said, “Daegu is the home team at third base. He has a physical advantage by playing left field,” Park explained.