Bae Jung-dae of the KT Wiz speaks with reporters before facing the LG Twins in a Korea Baseball Organization postseason game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — After homering off LG Twins closer You Young-chan in a Korea Baseball Organization postseason game Tuesday night, KT Wiz center fielder Bae Jung-dae had mixed feelings about the moment.
Bae was obviously excited that his two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning cut his team’s deficit to 6-5 in Game 3 of the first round. The Wiz ended up losing by that score but Bae at least made things interesting and sent a message to the Twins that they weren’t going to go down without a fight.
On the other hand, Bae knew You was pitching just five days after his father had died. You missed the first game of this series on Saturday and only rejoined the team for Game 2 Sunday.
Before Wednesday’s Game 4, Bae said he had nothing but admiration for the right-hander.
“If I had been in his situation, I wouldn’t have been able to play so soon. I think he is doing an incredible job,” Bae told reporters, unprompted, at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. “I admire him for how he was able to come back and play for his team in these important games.”
Bae said he wanted to speak with You to deliver this message in person earlier in the series but added the two aren’t particularly close off the field. Bae instead used his pregame interview as an opportunity to let You know how he feels.
“I wanted to put aside our teams’ postseason battles for a moment and just have a conversation with him as fellow human beings,” Bae added. “As soon as I hit that home run, I felt pretty happy. But then I realized what he had been going through. I just would like to say how much I admire him for his mental strength.”
Bae is doing his part to keep the Wiz’s season alive. He is batting .364 (4-for-11) this series and leads his club with three runs scored and a .727 slugging percentage.
With the Wiz facing elimination in Wednesday’s game, Bae said performing under pressure is part of the job description for professional athletes.
“We live under pressure every day, and I think overcoming that is an important part of what we do,” Bae said. “I think we can all get the job done here. I have faith in my teammates.”
LG Twins closer You Young-chan reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Bae Jung-dae of the KT Wiz during Game 3 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 8, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Also Wednesday, Twins catcher Park Dong-won said You has been as normal as can be under the circumstances.
“He is smiling with the guys like he usually does,” Park said. “But he’s trying so hard to do that because he doesn’t want to bring down his teammates. We all know what he’s going through. And we’re playing extra hard for him because we’d feel terrible if we get eliminated this early in the postseason.”
(Yonhap)
