“I want to say thank you very much to the interpreter.”
There are good people around good players. LG foreign batter Austin Dean is like that. He analyzed the pitchers in order to adapt to the unfamiliar Korean stage, and he received help from an interpreter during this process. Austin, who became the best foreign hitter this season, conveyed his secret to his success and expressed his gratitude to Ji Seung-jae.
On the 24th, in the game against Lotte in Jamsil, Austin played as the 4th hitter and 1st baseman, and went 2 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 RBI and 2 walks on 3rd base. He broke the 0-0 balance by connecting opposing pitcher Charlie Barnes’ fastball with a timely double in the bottom of the 4th inning with a chance to run on first base. It was the final blow that led to LG’s victory in the match, and after that, Austin calmly dealt with the pitchers and went on base for three consecutive plate appearances with two walks.
1st place LG won 3-1 against Lotte in the pitching match, beating 2nd place KT by 7.5 games. The following is Q&A with Austin, who has been active with a batting average of 0.316, 16 homers, 75 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.880 until today.
-A few weeks ago, I said that it was physically difficult to start every game for the first time in a long time this season. But lately, the feeling of hitting is very good.
Looking back at my time in the States, there were seasons where I played full-time in the minors and years I didn’t play full-time in the majors as a backup. He looked back at his records in the minors and thought about what it was like when he played full-time. He wanted to learn from failure, thinking more about the bad times. This year, especially, I am playing baseball in a new team and a new environment, and as the championship is my goal, I focus more and seem to be getting good results recently.
-I heard that he studies pitching a lot. How are you doing?
First of all, I want to thank the interpreter. An interpreter is very helpful. I asked a friend who interprets to pull out the data of the pitchers at the beginning of the season. Each pitcher asked for the location and distribution of pitches. And entering the season, I kept writing records when pitchers faced me. A friend who interprets even organized it with a binder to make it look nice. He goes into the game looking at that material prior to every game. I want to say thank you very much to the interpreter next to me right now.
LG Austin Dean is hitting the right time in the game against Lotte in Jamsil on the 24th. photo | LG Twins
-If you look at today’s game as well as recent games, there are many appearances of the opposing pitcher avoiding the game. Today too, the pitchers did not win from the timely batting and picked two walks. Can exercising patience according to the situation be an effect of studying pitchers?
Analysis is not always correct. Still, it’s a good reference. Since my recent results have been good, it seems that the opponent also sees me as a hitter who needs to be careful. I rarely give out good balls to hit and I can see them avoiding them, but the more I do, the more I try not to miss the balls I can hit. I felt good today because I scored an RBI in an important situation, and then I went on a walk. I think it’s okay because I believe that this helps the team and the hitter behind me can solve it.스포츠토토
- His batting average has been over 50% for the past week. I don’t think now is the best time to hit.
It seems that God is on my side now. Every day before I go to bed, I pray that my team and I will do well.
LG Austin is holding a ceremony after a timely hit against Lotte in Jamsil on the 24th. photo | LG Twins
- In fact, advancing to the postseason has been confirmed. How was the postseason in the US before?
I experienced a few postseasons, but in the majors, I went to the postseason for only one year. He was a backup player at the time, but as the game was played without spectators due to Corona 19, he did not feel the heat. I am looking forward to the postseason in Korea this time. It will be the hottest postseason I’ve played so far. I want to win every day to have a good postseason.
-Do you know about the KBO League Golden Glove? Currently, the first base Golden Glove award is making strong results. For the first time since 1994, the LG 1st base Golden Glove winner can come out.
It’s a great award and I think it’s really cool to receive it. But the Golden Gloves aren’t my first goal. We have bigger goals and dreams. First of all, I want to achieve that goal. Getting the Golden Gloves is what happens after that.
- As a first baseman, you are constantly talking to the batters on the opposing team. Now that it’s the second half of the season, I think there will be some hitters I’ve become very close with. I think the content of the conversation may have changed a bit.
Yes. I faced many hitters, and the number of players who are friendly and welcome to meet is increasing. First of all, if I had to pick the batter I liked the most, it would be Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan. He is a very attractive player in both offense and defense, and he became close to him as he met regularly at first base. Next is Chae Eun-seong, who was at LG until last year. He is also a friend who takes good care of me. I think the biggest trigger was the All-Star Game. We became close as we met many players at the All-Star Game.
