LG’s foreign batsman Austin made up for his protested ejection the day before with a home run.
Austin started at first base in the No. 4 spot against Kiwoom at Jamsil Stadium on Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a double, a home run, three walks, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Austin had been ejected during the previous day’s game on Nov. 11 for harshly protesting an umpire’s strike call. His ejection four batters into a 3-3 tie hurt the team. Luckily, Kim Hyun-soo’s game-winning two-run home run won the game.
“When you’re immersed in the game, sometimes you can’t help it,” said Yoon Kyung-yeop about Austin’s ejection before the 12th game. “I saw him standing in front of the locker room after the game, saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ and high-fiving the players one by one.”
“I felt really bad about getting ejected yesterday because I didn’t play well, but we had a lot of calls and complaints, and I was expressing my frustration on behalf of my teammates, and that’s what happened. I was trying to support my teammates in any way I could, so I protested the referee’s call and got sent off,” he said.
“I went into the locker room and watched the game and kept praying for my team to win. I was so proud of my team for winning, and when Kim Hyun-soo hit the home run, I was so happy that I threw things in the locker room and made a mess,” he laughs.
What he felt for his teammates, he made up for with his performance. Austin drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning with the score tied 1-1. Down 1-2 in the fourth, Austin led off with another walk. The next batter, Oh Hwan, hit a double to left-center field, and Austin stormed home from first base to score. Tied 2-2.
In the fifth inning, with a 3-2 lead, Austin struck again. With two outs and one on, Austin pulled a fastball changeup from McKinney for a two-run home run over the left field fence. It was a two-run shot to make it 5-2.
Austin led off the top of the seventh inning with a 7-3 lead and drew his third walk of the day. He was replaced at first base by pinch-hitter Jung Ju-hyun. He reached base 100 percent of the time in his four at-bats and entered the game early.
“The home run felt great, and I’ve heard that it was almost an outfield home run, and I’ve seen the video, so that’s a little bit of a bummer, but it felt great, and there aren’t a lot of home runs that feel that good,” Austin said after the game.
“First and foremost, it felt good to be able to help the team win the game today. I didn’t have a great day yesterday, and I didn’t do much in the game yesterday, so to be able to come out and help today is very satisfying.”먹튀검증
It was a special feeling to be congratulated by his teammates in the dugout after hitting the home run. “I had a lot of bad at-bats yesterday,” Austin said, “and to come back out there today and make up for it and make it a big moment for myself.
It could have been a make-or-break game here, and I was able to get a home run today to help my teammates. I think it’s one of those games where you don’t dwell on the past, you just keep going through it because there are games to come, and it’s a stepping stone.”