‘Head-first sliding No. 4 hitter’ Austin Toojee throws himself at the plate, and coach Yoon Kyung-yup has a ‘big smile on his face’
LG Twins’ Austin, who gritted his teeth and ran and ran before the ‘head-first sliding No. 4’ out, grabs the third base bag and breathes heavily.
The game between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Aug. 8. Austin, who started at first base in the No. 4 spot, took off for first base in his first at-bat.
In the bottom of the first inning, Shin Min-jae singled and Kim Hyun-soo led off with a double to give LG a 1-0 lead. Austin, batting fourth, faced KIA starter Yoon Young-chul and took a four-pitch slider at 2B-1S.
Austin’s strong hit looked like it would clear the infield past 3B Kim Do-young. However, shortstop Park Chan-ho scooped up the ball and threw to first base.
Austin, who was sprinting after the hit, flew toward first base at the same time as shortstop Park Chan-ho’s throw. Although he didn’t have to do much early on, the competitive Austin gave it his best shot after hitting an infield grounder in the first inning.
First base umpire Lee Min-ho called the ball out as it arrived first. After conceding the out, Austin looked at first base a few times in disappointment before heading to the dugout.
Despite being called out, Austin’s teammates applauded his gritty play as he slid headfirst into first base.
Dusting off his dirt-covered jersey, Austin walked into the dugout and exhaled heavily as he prepared for the next inning.
Leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Austin led off with a walk and raced to second and then to third when the next batter, Moon Bo-kyung, hit a grounder that cleared shortstop Park Chan-ho.
When center fielder Choi Won-jun quickly threw the ball to third, Austin made another head-first slide to touch third base.
Austin’s slide to third base was not as smooth as it should have been, as he twisted his step and slipped, and although he made a safe catch, he inadvertently braked with his face.메이저사이트
After making an aggressive play at third base to gain one more base on a short pitch, Austin exchanged high-fives with coach Park Yong-geun and gasped for air.
On Oh’s fly ball to center field, Austin tagged up and flew home to score another run. As Austin walked into the dugout, manager Yoon Kyung-yup greeted him warmly and patted him on the head.
Austin, who played to the best of his ability, once at first base in the first inning and again at third base to get to second base on a short hit in the fourth inning, singled in the top of the sixth inning and came home on Oh’s single.
With the score at 6-0, manager Yoon Kyung-yup took Austin out of the lineup for the next day’s doubleheader and replaced him with Jung Joo-hyun at first base from the bottom of the sixth inning.
The bats exploded in the first game of the four-game series and LG won 12-2.