What’s wrong with me? It’s a home run.
On the 9th of this month, a game between the KIA Tigers and Doosan Bears of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. In the top of the fourth inning, with KIA leading 1-0, Socrates came to bat as the leadoff hitter.
Socrates has been hitting well lately. He is not fooled by most of the pitches he sees. Today was no different.
With a one-ball, two-strike count, Kia Socrates endured three consecutive forked balls from Doosan’s Kim Dong-joo and swung hard at a 144-kilometer fastball as if he had been waiting for it.
The ball cleared the right-center field fence at Jamsil Baseball Stadium and seemed to bounce off the stands. Socrates realized it was a home run and spun around the bases. The umpires snapped their fingers and called it a home run.
But Doosan center fielder Jung Soo-bin caught the bouncing ball and quickly fielded it. When second baseman Lee Yoo-chan was in a daze after cutting up the middle, third baseman Heo Kyung-min read Jung Soo-bin’s sign and shouted for Lee Yoo-chan to get the ball. He quickly threw it home before Socrates could cross the plate. The catcher, Yang Ji, saw Socrates crossing the plate and tagged him. Panicked by Yang Ji’s surprise tag, Socrates jumped and dodged with his arms in the air. Socrates stared at Yang in bewilderment as his teammates congratulated him on his home run in the dugout.
Jung Soo-bin, who was closest to the hit, sent a video replay sign to the Doosan dugout and manager Lee Seung-yeop called for a video replay. The slow replay showed Socrates’ shot hitting the yellow top of the right-center field fence and bouncing off the ground. If the ball hit the top of the fence and went into the stands, it would have been a home run, but since it went into the ground, it was an in-play situation. The home run was eventually canceled and ruled a double.
Doosan’s veteran trio quickly realized the situation and tried to tag the runner at home in case of an in-play situation. 메이저사이트
It was a double, not an out, but it was a momentary base hit by the Doosan veteran trio of Jung Soo-bin, Heo Kyung-min, and Yang Yang-ji.
However, the game was won by KIA 7-3. Socrates, who narrowly missed out on a home run, went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and three runs scored.
Meanwhile, after hitting .318 with four home runs, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of .899 in May, Socrates has been on fire in June. In eight games in June, he’s batting .500 with two homers, nine RBIs, and a 1.468 OPS.
Even though he missed a home run today, Socrates’ bat is dancing.