“I’m not even a fast-footed player… Taeyeon Kim did it.”

Hanwha infielder Kim Tae-yeon (26) surprised everyone with a surprise home steal against SSG in Daejeon on the 21st. In the 8th inning, 1 out, 1st and 2nd base, SSG lefty Oh Won-seok’s first pitch was connected with a left-handed hit, and Kim Tae-yeon, who scored 1 RBI, advanced to third base when Kim In-hwan hit right-middle. 

Oh Seon-jin’s shortstop straight hit led to 2nd out and 1st and 3rd base. When Lee Myung-gi was batting, SSG pitcher Oh Won-seok checked with first base before throwing the second pitch. At that moment, runner Kim Tae-yeon, who was skipping from third base, suddenly jumped home. 

Embarrassed, SSG first baseman Oh Tae-gon’s home throw missed slightly to the catcher’s right. Cho Hyung-woo caught the ball and turned to the left to tag, but it was after Kim Tae-yeon’s left hand swept the home plate first as it entered head-first sliding. The result of video reading is centrifugal intact and safe. With a home steal that tied the score 3-3, Hanwha ended the game in a draw from the brink of defeat. 

A surprise home steal that no one expected. It was a play in which the bench sign and the player’s judgment harmonized. Hanwha coach Carlos Subero said, “I sent an autograph through (third base) coach Darrell Kennedy. He told me where the opponent pitcher check motion was loose, but Kim Tae-yeon boldly put it into practice.” 

Coach Subero said, “In the meantime, I have been telling the players in detail how to solve the game. I have been saying that we can only get out of last place by digging into that point, and we needed someone to put it into action first. That player was Taeyeon Kim. Even if he was out at home, he would have praised Kim Tae-yeon, saying, ‘I finally did it’.” 

Coach Subero continued, “Kim Tae-yeon is not a fast-footed player, but he played boldly with clear information. In the past few years, players have shown fear (results), but he hopes that the information given from the bench will be an opportunity to play with confidence. Even in the regular season, more players who need to play like this should come out. Only then can our team play high-quality baseball.” 

Excluding shortstop, Kim Tae-yeon, who moves in and out of the infield as a third baseman, second baseman, and first baseman, is recording 5 hits in 17 at-bats in 7 games, 2.9 4 runs, 5 RBIs and 4 walks in this demonstration game. With the addition of first base free agent Chae Eun-seong and rookie infielder Moon Hyun-bin, Kim Tae-yeon’s position is not as secure as in the past two years. In this situation, he appealed to manager Subero with an impressive home steal. He is leading the change in Hanwha Baseball by playing aggressively with three stolen bases in demonstration games, including home steals, and digging into small gaps. 

Coach Subero said, “Kim Tae-yeon is slow, but fearless and very brave. There was not only a home steal, but also a third base steal (against KT on the 15th).안전놀이터 Visible tools are important, but it is also important to discover such a player’s temperament internally,” he said, expecting Kim Tae-yeon’s fearless play to cause competition and change in the team.