“It gave me a good foundation to do better.”
Ha Jae-hoon (SSG Landers) went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the fifth spot in the batting order against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Sunday. Ha’s performance led SSG to a 5-0 victory over Doosan.
Ha lined out to second base in his first at-bat, but he came out swinging in his second at-bat. With runners on second and third in the bottom of the third inning with a 2-0 lead, he drove a two-pitch changeup from Jang Won-jun for a two-run double. Ha Jae-hoon followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0 SSG.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ha came to the plate for the third time with the bases loaded and one out. However, he was unable to get a follow-up hit and did not score. In his final at-bat of the game in the bottom of the seventh, he hit a two-run double with the bases loaded to complete his three-hit game.
With the win, SSG clinched third place in the standings. They punched their ticket to the semi-playoffs. They will wait on high for the winner of the postseason wild card game between the NC Dinos and Doosan at NC Park in Changwon on April 19.
Ha told the press after the game, “We should have won no matter what. We had to win because there was no other way for us to win. I think we won because everyone played well.”
Ha had a slow start to the season after suffering a shoulder injury prior to the season. Midway through the season, he suffered a broken finger, but after returning, he hit well and finished the season with a .303 batting average.
Ha said, “Personally, I was disappointed with the injury, but I’m glad it ended the way it did. I would have liked to finish the pennant race with a better performance, but we finished in third place and won the last game, so I have no regrets.”
In 77 games this season, Ha is hitting .303 with 61 hits, seven home runs, 35 RBIs, 35 runs scored, and a .842 OPS. He finished last season with a triple-digit batting average for the second time in two seasons after switching to the outfield. In this game, he needed three hits to complete the triple play, and he did it perfectly.
Ha said, “I had a three-hit game. I had to hit three unconditionally. I thought it was a good way to win,” he said. “I think it’s a good foundation because I will have the opportunity to do better in the future and I need to do better. I think I can play baseball with more confidence, and I think that’s the biggest thing.” 토토사이트
Ha vowed to play more calmly in the postseason. “I’m not thinking about the postseason, I’m just trying to do my best with the task at hand. “It’s an important game, so I think it’s important to be more calm and do the best I can to advance to the Korean Series and ultimately win the championship,” he said.
He continued, “It’s unconditional. Baseball is all about winning. I’m going to try to win, and all my teammates are going to try to win.”