"The blow is already beyond me"...KIA Park Chan-ho took Park Sung-han first despite his joy of winning his first Golden Glove award
"The blow is already beyond me"...KIA Park Chan-ho took Park Sung-han first despite his joy of winning his first Golden Glove award
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Park Chan-ho (KIA Tigers), who received his first Golden Glove, encouraged Park Sung-han (SSG Landers).스포츠토토
Park won the Golden Glove award in shortstop at the 2024 KBO Golden Glove Awards held at the COEX Auditorium in Samseong-dong, Seoul on Sunday. It is the first time Park has worn gold gloves.
Park Chan-ho, who had a batting average of 0.262 (803 hits in 3063 at-bats) with 18 homers, 311 RBIs, 160 steals and an OPS of 0.649 in 954 games since being named the 50th overall in the second round in 2014, has clearly displayed his presence in this season. He played in 134 games and posted a batting average of 0.307 (158 hits in 515 at-bats) with five homers, 61 RBIs and 20 steals, contributing to Kia's V12.
Even Park did not seem to have an easy time winning the honor. Park had strong competitor Park Sung-han. Park played in 137 games this year and had a batting average of 0.301 (147 hits in 489 times at bat), 10 homers, 67 RBIs, 13 steals and an OPS of 0.791. At the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12, which took place after the season, Park defended Korea's pride by posting a batting average of 0.357 (five hits in 14 times at bat), two RBIs, four runs scored and an OPS of 0.938 with the national flag.
The winner was Park Chan-ho amid ever-fiercer competition. He received 154 votes out of 288 votes (voting rate of 53.5 percent), beating Park Sung-han with 118 votes.
After the ceremony, Park Chan-ho encouraged Park. "(Park) Sung-han congratulated me and gave me a big hug. Last year, when I came to the ceremony without any expectations and went back without any awards, I felt shabby. I know how you feel. No words can comfort me. Sung-han is a good player. He is much younger than me. He is already capable of hitting. He has far better batting performance than me. He has endless potential for improvement."
Park said, "(When the name was called), my mind went blank. Should I say that my body feels relaxed? I think so." It was because I was nervous, not emotional. "I think I couldn't hear my voice because I was so nervous," Park said with a bright smile. "I think my family and my wife came to mind first. I have achieved really good results this year. I couldn't help but look forward to it. That's why I got more expectations and I was nervous."
"(Hearing the Golden Glove in person) is quite heavy. It should not end as a one-off event. I think I am well aware of how to prepare for the future. I think I will be able to show better performances in the future."
Oh Ji-hwan (LG Twins), who wore golden gloves for shortstop in succession in 2022 and 2023, attended the ceremony and delivered a bouquet of flowers to Park Chan-ho. "At first, I was wondering why you came, and I thought you had such a big meaning. I thought you were receiving another award," Park said. "It was cool. I feel like I'm learning something like that."
Most of all, it will be more valuable because I received the Golden Glove after enduring a long period of time. "This is something I really want to give myself respect," Park said. "I came up from the bottom while chewing. It's not just that I'm proud of myself, but I want to say that I'm proud that I endured it well. There were so many people helping me. Without my family's strength, I wouldn't have been able to endure it alone," Park said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Along with Park, good shortstop who has appeared a lot in the KBO League in recent years is a great motivation for Park Chan-ho. "I think there are so many things to see and learn. Looking at (Oh) Ji-hwan, I am learning a lot. I am learning a lot about how to cope with every moment of defense and how to handle a ball flexibly. Not only Ji-hwan, but I am learning a lot by watching Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos) these days. When I see him playing defense, I have a lot to learn," he said.
Park Chan-ho continued, "I don't know about the offense power, but I think Korean shortstop's defense has improved a lot. I don't think any country would lose defense capability. So I really study and copy why these players play like that and how they take the steps. If I think it suits me, I try it with my own."
Finally, Park Chan-ho said, "(In the future) I actually want to protect the defense award rather than the Golden Glove. I am not a player who judges games through hitting. I don't expect to win consecutive awards in the Golden Glove where batting performance is included," adding, "I am making every year to improve my performance. I am steadily increasing it every year. If I upload it next year as well, I will naturally get good results and awards." He also promised to perform well in the 2025 season.