TV
Seung-yeop Lee, provocation of monsters led by ‘Yasin’ Kim Seong-geun
In the 33rd episode of JTBC's 'Best Baseball' broadcast on the 6th, a game was depicted between the Strongest Monsters and the professional baseball team Doosan Bears with about 20,000 spectators watching.
The last opponent of the mighty Monsters, who achieved their goal of 70% win rate for the season on this day, was the Bears, a professional baseball team led by coach Lee Seung-yeop, who served as the first head coach. It was a battle between the former and current coaches of the Strongest Monsters, and the sight of coaches Kim Seong-geun and Lee Seung-yeop, who were mentors and students on the same team, facing each other as adversaries, warmed everyone's hearts.
The last game of the season for the Strongest Monsters boasted a scale reminiscent of Game 7 of the Korean Series. The second direct match held in three months showed its huge popularity as all seats were sold out within one minute of ticket sales opening. The Strongest Monsters were moved to tears when they saw about 20,000 fans filling the stands.
Singer Sohyang, who was specially invited for the national ceremony, sang the national anthem. In particular, managers Kim Seong-geun and Lee Seung-yeop surprised everyone by appearing as hitters and first pitchers. The famous scenes that can only be seen in ‘Best Baseball’ left unforgettable memories for baseball fans.
Coach Kim Seong-geun put team ace Yoo Hee-gwan on the mound as the starting pitcher for this game, and coach Lee Seung-yeop showed his will to win by inserting a large number of first-team players into the Bears' second-team lineup. Coach Kim Seong-geun said ahead of the game, "I'm a professional, but baseball is the same, so I have to win the game." Coach Lee Seung-yeop ignited the rivalry with a provocation, saying, "Do you have the determination? It's just about winning. You can't just win. You have to win with a cold game. You have pride."
Yoo Hee-gwan took the mound as a starting pitcher in Jamsil 413 days after October 3, 2021. He was thrilled to be able to play baseball again in front of the fans of his former team, the Doosan Bears. Yoo Hee-gwan gave his all in this game and fought against the Bears batters with all his might.
The strongest Monsters and Bears had a close game with no compromises, trading one point each in the first inning. Park Chan-hee was distressed by the fact that he lost one point because of his mistake, but he made up for his mistake brilliantly by scoring one point with a perfect comeback hit in the fourth inning. Ji Seok-hoon's timely hit continued, and the strongest Monsters began to run away with a 3-1 lead.
However, Yoo Hee-gwan, who had ignited hope for his 10th win by pitching without an earned run until the 4th inning, gave up a run to the Doosan Bears by allowing 3 consecutive hits in the 5th inning. Coach Lee Seung-yeop constantly directed the strategy and shook up the strongest monster, and finally had a chance to turn the tables.
Attention is focused on whether the strongest Monsters, who have been completely robbed of the flow due to repeated mistakes, will be able to block the offensive of the Doosan Bears, who have started chasing them, and overcome the crisis of a comeback.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
