“I feel like I came back from the dead.”
The tide of the match seemed to turn in an instant. Ahn Sang-hyun (27-SSG Landers) went back and forth between heaven and hell.
Starting at second base for the Doosan Bears in their 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Feb. 2, Ahn made a simple error in the top of the third inning with his team trailing 1-2.
SSG went down 1-4, and it looked like the game was over.
For Ahn, it was a precious opportunity. Before the game, Lee said, “Ahn Sang-hyun will start today. Sang-hyun started on Sunday, and he did his job very well. The seniors played their roles well, and the younger guys prepared well for their age, so they’ve done well so far.” “As a coach, I’m hoping that if I push them a little harder, they’ll get better results, but if they get more confident as they go out there, they’ll get better. The younger guys need to get better so that we can become a more solid team that can be upgraded.”
Ahn made a critical error in a chance to put his manager’s stamp on the game, and he couldn’t hide his disappointment. He struck out the side in the bottom of the third inning, and the team went down to a triple play.
But in the bottom of the fourth inning, a miracle happened. After a leadoff single by Park Sung-han, a walk by Choi Jung-jeong and a single to right-center by Guillermo Heredia, Han Yoo-seom smashed a three-run homer to center field. With runners on first and second, Ahn Sang-hyun hit a game-tying single to center field and later scored another run to seal the victory.
SSG continued to put up more runs, including two home runs, and eventually won 13-6 to extend their winning streak to four games. For Ahn, it was a day of mixed emotions.
“When I made the mistake, I felt the most sorry for the team,” he said after the game. I was having a hard time because I kept thinking about the situation, but my seniors told me, ‘You can’t control what happened, and if you make a mistake like this, you’ll always have a chance,'” he said. “So I focused on my play to try to do something about the situation afterward. Even when I hit the wall, I wanted to hold on to the chance, so I wanted it to go over, but I was happy to get the RBI, and I felt like I came back from the dead.”
Yusum Han was absolutely dominant. He went 5-for-5 with three 토토 doubles (two home runs) and seven RBIs on the day. It was the first time since May 8, 2019, that he had seven RBIs in a game in more than five years.
When asked about Ahn after the game, Hanyusum said, “I know what it’s like to be in that situation, so I usually don’t talk to him, rather than go up and talk to him and slap him on the ass,” adding, “He came in after the home run and said, ‘Thank you.’ You should be grateful. He doesn’t even come near me normally, but he acts like we’re friends,” he laughs.
When asked if there would be coffee in his locker tomorrow, he said, “I’m glad there is,” but didn’t say anything else. “Sang-hyun hit another fly ball, and when I followed him from behind and said, ‘I’m here,’ he just shrugged and laughed. I purposely played with him like that and let him go.”
As a senior who had experienced more failures than anyone else, he also gave advice. “In a way, that bonehead play could be a big help for Sang Hyun-i,” Han said, “I’ve gained experience like that, so it would have been a good opportunity for him.”