The moment the ball hit the bat, he ran with his eyes only on the first base. As the base approached, he launched himself and made a head-first slide, which was ruled safe by the first base umpire. The video review also confirmed the call. LG veteran infielder Jeong Ju-hyun (33) hit a dramatic game-ending infield single in the 12th inning.
Jeong was on the field defending first base in the 11th inning of extra innings against Jamsil Kiwoom on March 3. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Austin singled and was replaced by pinch-hitter Choi Seung-min, leaving the starting first baseman out of the lineup.
In the bottom of the 12th inning, Hong Chang-ki singled and Moon Sung-joo singled to left to put runners on first and second. Kim Hyun-soo grounded out to first base, putting runners at second and third with Jung Joo-hyun at the plate. After a six-pitch battle with opposing pitcher Yang Hyun, Jung lined a ball to shortstop for an infield hit.
LG won 5-4 in the bottom of the 12th inning, extending its winning streak to a team-high seven games this season. Season record 56 wins, 33 losses and 2 ties. They are now 5.5 games behind second-place SSG.
After the game, Jung Joo-hyun commented on the final moments of the 12th inning, saying, “If it wasn’t a safe, there was no answer, so I just ran like hell. Unconsciously, I just shouted safe, safe, safe. The head-first slide came out without me realizing it,” he laughed.
Jeong was pleased with his contribution to the team with the game-winning hit in a small window of opportunity. He said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to go out and contribute to the team in such a precious moment. “Last year, I didn’t play a single game in the first team, so it’s good to be in the first team this year. I’m grateful to the coach. I always want to contribute to the team like this, and I’m glad I did today.”
Jung plays every position in the infield, but first base is the most unfamiliar. “It’s really hard,” he said of first base. At first, I thought I just needed to receive the ball well, but there are a lot of plays and it’s very hard. I feel that the first basemen are great,” he said, “so I’m constantly asking around. I’m getting advice from (Kim) Min Sung-hyung and the coaches about defending first base. I also borrowed my first baseman’s mitt from Min Sung-hyung.”안전놀이터
“I borrowed (Oh) Ji-hwan’s bat,” he said of his battle with Yang Hyun before the game-winning hit. But I was confident because I had hit against Yang Hyun before. I thought it would be harder for the pitcher, so I tried to swing confidently.”
When asked, “What were you thinking when you saw the video?” he said, “I was nervous. I hadn’t slid in a long time, so I wasn’t sure, but my teammates said it was a save. I was relieved to hear that before the video was shown.”
Finally, Jung said, “As a backup, I realize how difficult it is for backup players. I realized the difficulties that I didn’t realize when I was a starter before.” “I’m happy to be in the first team. I want to play my role well. The atmosphere is really different this year. With Ji-hwan and (Choi) Dong-hwan, I became the longest-serving player on the LG, and I think we’ll do really well this year.”