KIA Han Jun-su, who hits long balls every day, “I want to lead the team to victory as a catcher”

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = KIA Tigers Han Jun-su played more than a role as a backup catcher this season.

In the regular season, he appeared in 115 games, which is more than the existing starting catcher Kim Tae-gun (88 games), and showed outstanding performance with a batting average of 0.281, 7 home runs, and 38 RBIs, and in the postseason, he is showing his presence in offense and defense by hitting long hits in every game.

On the 20th, Junsu Han hit a solo home run that sealed the team's victory in the 7th inning of the 3rd game of the semi-playoffs (semi-PO, 3 wins out of 5) against the LG Twins, and then in the 1st game of the playoffs (PO, 3 wins out of 5) against the Samsung Lions on the 26th, he arched against Samsung starter Chris Fedek in the top of the 4th inning with a 4-0 lead.

Junsu Han, whom we met ahead of the 2nd PO game held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 27th, said, "I feel good at hitting, but I try to hit comfortably rather than trying to hit well. I am going to bat with the mindset of swinging as lightly as possible, and I am fortunate to have many long hits. I will continue to try to hit lightly in the future."

He then said, “I think short-term matches are a battle of momentum,” and “I am going into the game thinking that if I play confidently without fear of mistakes, I will get good results. Not only me, but other players also take a similar stance and seem to be getting good results.”

Although his performance at the plate is outstanding, Junsu Han has a strong desire to add more strength to the pitcher's lead as a catcher, which is his main job.

Junsu Han, who appeared as the designated hitter in the first PO game, will start as the 7th hitter and catcher on this day and work with starting pitcher Adam Ohler.

Junsu Han said, “Defense needs to be as confident as offense,” and “Oller has a bad memory in Daegu (he gave up 8 runs in the first inning against Samsung on July 28), but he didn’t talk about the past.”

He added, “I asked him to watch today’s game and throw with confidence and enjoyment,” adding, “I expect that he will throw well in today’s game.”

He pledged, "In today's game, the pitcher's lead is the most important, so I will focus more on defense. I will not worry about batting. I think batting performance comes if you follow a good trend. As a catcher, I want to lead the team to victory."