He is growing into a reliable closing pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles. This is the story of Park Sang-won (29).
Sang-won Park took the mound in the second game of a double header against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 9th and recorded his 14th save of the season by pitching 1⅓ innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 strikeout, and no runs.안전놀이터
In fact, Sang-won Park was selected as a closing pitcher during spring camp. However, he developed bruising on his arm and was unable to complete the camp. Therefore, his final position was handed over to Jang Si-hwan. Afterwards, Kang Jae-min and Kim Beom-soo played the finishing role for a while, but after Park Sang-won recovered, they returned to their original positions.
Coincidentally, Park Sang-won recorded a save in his first appearance this season. He naturally took on the role of finisher. In the game against Doosan in Daejeon on April 19, he took the mound in the top of the 9th inning with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd bases when the team was ahead 7-6. He threw two balls against pinch hitter Kim Jae-ho and earned a save. This save was the team’s and individual’s first save this season.
Park Sang-won, who found the finishing position, is clearly blocking his back door. His multi-inning performance can also be seen frequently. The game on the 9th also resulted in a 4-out save.
After the game, Park Sang-won smiled and said, “I am grateful that they let me play. I think it means that they believe in me that much. Every time I go out, I try to throw my best and I think that’s why I get such good results.”
In particular, this day was also Park Sang-won’s 29th birthday. Nick Williams on the 8th and Sangwon Park on the 9th celebrated her two-day birthday. And the birthday heroes played an active role and led the team to victory.
He said, “A few years ago, I pitched on my birthday. It was before I went to the military (I gave up 1 run in ⅓ innings against LG on September 9, 2018). I remember being so excited at the time and not getting a good result. I received a lot of calls this morning as well, but I tried not to get excited. “I tried to focus more because yesterday (the 8th) the score was overturned in the 8th inning. I think my attempt to hide (my emotions) continued until the 9th inning and resulted in a save,” he explained.
Sangwon Park started playing baseball when he was in the third grade of elementary school. However, his dream from the beginning was to be a closing pitcher, not a starting pitcher.
Park Sang-won said, “Ever since I was young, it has been my dream and goal to want to be a closing pitcher. That’s why I didn’t have many starting pitchers when I was a student. I even told the manager at the time that I would go out for the second time and throw long throws.”
What is the reason? He said, “Anyone can start, but at the end, there has to be a player who is recognized by all the players, managers, and coaches on the team. I think I was more attracted to (the closing pitcher) because it’s that kind of position.” revealed.
That’s how he joined Hanwha and became the closing pitcher he dreamed of. Now, he dreams of becoming the guardian of Hanwha, following Koo Dae-seong and Jeong Woo-ram. He achieved 10 saves for the first time since his debut this year, but said it was still not enough.
Park Sang-won emphasized, “There is still a long way to go. We need to continue working full-time for a few more years. We need to make sure that people can say, ‘Hanwha’s closing pitcher is Park Sang-won’ without anyone saying it.” He then expressed his determination, saying, “I want to keep winning like now. I think the fact that there are a lot of draws means that the team has stepped up to the next level. I don’t have any personal goals, but I want to keep increasing my saves as long as I have the chance.