"Seized the Opportunity and Proved It"... Park Min, Kim Do-young's Injury Gap Filled with 200% Outstanding Performance

【Busan = Jeon Sang-il Reporter】It was an unexpected moment. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Kim Do-young left the game due to a sudden hamstring cramp while fielding Yoon Dong-hee's hit. The KIA bench had no time to hesitate and immediately made a substitution. At that moment, Park Min quietly walked towards the third base. Sudden deployment, bases loaded with no outs, and a sharp hit. Through all the tension, Park Min perfectly proved his 'baseball'. And that proof led to a winning series against the formidable Lotte. 
Bottom of the 5th, bases loaded with no outs. At bat was Lotte's Han Tae-yang. A difficult hit that seemed to fly into the outfield, but Park Min remained calm. After handling the ball with a short bounce, he quickly stepped on the third base and threw accurately to catch Reyes rushing home. Without this moment, Yang Hyun-jong's scoreless pitching with bases loaded would have been impossible.
Even more surprising was that it didn't stop at defense. In the top of the 6th inning, Park Min opened the attack with a double down the left field line as the leadoff hitter, and in the 9th inning, he seized luck with a hit even when the bat broke, reaching base again.
The record for the day was 2 hits in 2 at-bats. It was a backup performance close to perfection.



In the 9th inning defense, Park Min once again showed his presence. He calmly handled Han Tae-yang's hard-hit ball to third base, making the leadoff hitter out. With the uneasy closer Jeong Hae-young on the mound, the stability provided by that one out was beyond imagination.
Park Min is a promising player who joined KIA in the second round of the 2024 draft. He was a youth representative during his time at Yatap High School, and his original position was shortstop. However, he expanded his position to second base while in Sangmu, choosing to evolve into an 'infield utility'. It was a 'survival strategy' he chose to survive in the KIA infield, where Kim Do-young and Park Chan-ho already hold the center.
And today, that strategy became a 'winning move' that saved KIA.



In this game, there were many significant scenes, such as Yang Hyun-jong's 6 innings of 1-run pitching and Na Seong-beom's home assist, but at the center was Park Min, who quietly stepped in and saved the team.
The most important virtues for a backup player are 'waiting' and 'preparation'. You must wait for the opportunity that may come at any time and sweat every day for that moment. Today, Park Min perfectly seized that opportunity. He filled the gap of Kim Do-young's sudden departure more perfectly than anyone else.
Park Min, who showed 200% presence. Among KIA fans, the saying "The number one infield utility is now Park Min" is no longer an exaggeration. Today's performance was more than just a 'replacement player'. It was a 'declaration' proving why he should be on the team.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter