At Changwon NC Park, where he had taken a tryout without his own uniform just a year ago, he has now become a ‘scene stealer’ by participating in postseason games. NC Dinos’ ‘base running specialist’ Park Young-bin (26) is having a special fall.
Park Young-bin met with Star News after completing training for the playoffs held at Changwon NC Park on the 27th and said, “(Last year) when I was not a professional player, I imagined playing and cheering for fall baseball like this. I am so happy that it turned out as I dreamed.” “Do it,” he said.
Park Young-bin played in one game in this fall baseball. In the first game of the wild card game against the Doosan Bears held at Changwon NC Park on the 19th, Park Young-bin entered the game in place of first base runner Park Geon-woo at the bottom of the 8th inning with one out and runners on first and second base when the team was ahead 8-6. In a situation where second base runner Park Min-woo’s third base was stolen and first and third base changed, Park Young-bin started with second base on the fourth pitch. At this time, batter Jason Martin hit a ground ball to second base, but instead of catching Park Young-bin, who had already entered second base, second baseman Seung-ho Kang threw it to first base, allowing the runner on third base to score.
Next, Park Young-bin attempted a double steal with Kim Seong-wook during No. 6 hitter Kim Joo-won’s at-bat in a situation where 1st and 2nd bases were recreated due to a walk by No. 5 hitter Kim Seong-wook. Catcher Yang Eui-ji received the ball and quickly threw it to third base, but Park Young-bin was easily ruled safe. With second and third bases created by two players stealing bases, Kim Joo-won hit a hit that was slightly over the shortstop’s height, bringing both runners home. With this timely hit, NC advanced to 11-6, and Kim Hyeong-jun’s 3-run home run led to a 14-9 victory.
Park Young-bin explained, “(As for the attempt to steal second base), the pitcher is a player with great quick motion (slide steps), so I attacked right away and tried to steal a base, but it happened to be a double play, so it ended up being a good situation.” Regarding stealing third base, he said, “I don’t often steal third base with two outs, but it seems like the opponent was caught off guard.” He added, “I made eye contact with coach Lee Jong-wook (third base), so I tried it once and it turned out to be a good result.”
In fact, being a substitute is not an easy position. This is because he plays in a critical situation in the second half of the game, and one mistake could shift the momentum towards the opponent. Coach Lee Jong-wook, who recorded a total of 340 stolen bases during his career, said, “The players (who will be behind) will be nervous, and it will not be easy. I tell the players, ‘You guys will be behind, so you have to prepare well.'”
Park Young-bin said, “Everyone says, ‘It’s a difficult and difficult position.’ However, until last year, I was a person who could not even dream of a position like this. I am grateful to the managers and coaches who trusted me and entrusted me to me. Rather than thinking that it was difficult and difficult, this position was a place for growth.” “I am grateful because it helps me and I think I should do well,” he said.
Park Young-bin, who graduated from Chungam High School and Kyung Hee University and joined NC as a training player in 2020, was notified of his release that year after playing only 5 at-bats in 11 Futures League games. After completing his military service, he joined the independent baseball team Yeoncheon Miracle in 2022 and aimed to return to the pro ranks, and eventually succeeded in returning to NC after passing the membership test in November of that year. With the leadership, including general manager Lim Seon-nam and coach Kang In-kwon, watching, he made a mark by swinging a multi-hit hit against Blue and White. At the time, Park Young-bin did not have a uniform, so he played in the game wearing the released pitcher Hong Seong-min’s uniform.
Thinking that he might not be able to return as a baseball player after being discharged from the military, Park Young-bin prepared for a ‘second life’ by obtaining a bodybuilding license. The opportunity that came my way was bound to be precious to me. Park Young-bin said, “(At this time last year), I couldn’t imagine what it would be like now. At that time, I didn’t know whether I would join the team or not. I’m so happy that it turned out as I dreamed, but I can’t rest here just yet.”
Park Young-bin, who returned to the professional stage after two years of twists and turns, posted decent records with a batting average of 0.345 and 12 stolen bases in 34 Futures League games. Eventually, he was registered as an official player on May 23 and was called up to the first team for the first time. At the time, coach Kang In-kwon explained, “The throw was disappointing, but it has been improved well. In terms of hitting, I always recommended Team C (2nd team) as first choice.” NC internally highly evaluated Park Young-bin’s base running ability, and the fact that they traded Choi Seung-min, who was also a pinch runner, to the LG Twins proved this.
There hasn’t been much to show in the first team yet. In 41 games with the first team this season, he succeeded 4 times in 6 steal attempts. His success rate of 66.7% is not high. He also had only one hit in 17 at-bats and 14 at-bats (a batting average of 0.071). But he made the postseason entry and is ready to go at any time late in the game.
Park Young-bin, who looked back on this season, said, “It was not as easy as I thought as it was my first season playing in the first team. I heard that I was getting better, but I imagined doing better than I am now, but after experiencing many failures, I realized, ‘Nothing is easy.’ “I also think about it,” he confessed. At the same time, he said, “I thought I should work harder and learn a lot from my coach and older brothers.”굿모닝토토 도메인
Entering this postseason, Park Young-bin decided to let go of his greed. He said, “Actually, my ultimate goal is not to succeed only as a pinch runner. That’s why I trained a lot in batting and defense. However, for this postseason, I’m going to give up my greed and go all-in on base running, and I’m going to do my best with the plays I can.” reported.