▲ Hong Chang-ki of the LG Twins speaks at a press conference at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2021, before playing the Doosan Bears in the first round of the Korea Baseball Organization postseason. (Yonhap)
▲ In this file photo from Oct. 17, 2021, Hong Chang-ki of the LG Twins flips his bat after hitting a double against the NC Dinos in the top of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

baseball postseason-player

KBO's on-base machine sets modest goal in 2nd postseason

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- Despite being one of the best leadoff hitters in South Korean baseball, LG Twins' outfielder Hong Chang-ki has set a modest goal for himself for the postseason.

As he enters his second career postseason, Hong said Thursday he just wants to get one hit.

"I just want to pick up one hit, and once I get that out of the way, I think I'll be able to relax at the plate," Hong said in his pregame interview before hosting the Doosan Bears to open the first round of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.

"In last year's postseason, I was trying too hard to play well, and I was terrible," Hong said.

He was 0-for-12 in three postseason games in 2020, as the Twins got eliminated by the same Bears in the first round.

But if Hong can duplicate his regular season success this time, he will be just fine.

He led the league with a .456 on-base percentage, while ranking second in runs (103), fourth in batting average (.328) and fifth in hits (172).

All the wiser after last year's failure, Hong has lowered expectations for himself.

"When I was younger, I used to get really nervous in front of even a small crowd," the 28-year-old said. "I no longer have that problem. We may have a lot of fans here tonight and I'll try to stay calm."

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]