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Newlywed Park Myung-hwan’s Amazing 10 Game Winning Streak

Newlywed Park Myung-hwan’s Amazing 10 Game Winning Streak

Posted June. 20, 2005 03:01,   

한국어

It was the top of the fifth inning of the match between Doosan and Hanhwa played on June 19 at Jamsil Stadium. A leaf fell off from starting pitcher Doosan ace Park Myung-hwan’s hat. It happened to be a cabbage leaf.

How did it end up there?

Park, who got married last December, received a rock-hard frozen cabbage from his wife Lee Ho-joo, at his house in Oksu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, before the start of the game. It was to help her husband, who had to pitch in a day game in the steaming heat of early summer. The cabbage leaf inside the hat is supposed to help cool off the heat. Last year, even before getting married, Lee had continued to be devoted to her future-husband by delivering frozen cabbages to him.

With a cabbage on top of his head for the first time this season, he pitched seven solid scoreless innings, giving up three hits and a walk, while striking out nine. His terrific fastball reaching up to 150 kmph and excellent slider were outstanding. Out of his 90 pitches, 60 were strikes.

Leading his team to a 4-2 victory, Park earned his ninth victory, preserving his winning percentage of 100 percent and, including last year’s September 8 Jamsil victory against Hyundai, extending his winning streak to 10. It is also his first win after three starts in a day game.

Hence Park is first in winning percentage and second in wins, strikeouts (80) and ERA (2.26).

Park said, “With the great pitch calls of my catcher Hong Seung-soon I mainly threw fastballs and sliders. I will do my best for my team to win rather than to extend my winning streak.”

With two consecutive wins, Doosan is right on the tail of SK by a half game, which lost two straight games against Samsung. Another newlywed, Lee Hye-chun, who got married 15 days earlier than Park, earned his first career base-on-balls free shutout after eight years in the pros for Doosan the day before.

Choi Kyung-hwan put a dagger in his old mentor’s heart, former Doosan coach and current Hanhwa coach Kim In-ski, by going three for four, and Hong Seung-hoon (two-for-four, two RBIs) and Moon Hee-sung(two for three) followed suit.



Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com