Camp in Arizona last February. I mentioned to Austin Dean, the new foreign hitter for the LG Twins, that LG’s foreign hitters hadn’t been performing well. He knew. “When I found out I was coming to LG, Korean fans DMed me on social media and told me about the foreign hitter curse,” Austin said at the time, “and I wanted to break it.”
He kept his word. In 139 games, Austin batted .301 with 163 hits, 23 home runs, and 95 RBIs as LG’s No. 4 hitter.
He not only broke the curse of unsuccessful foreign batters, but also became a filial protector, lifting a 29-year curse. Austin, who laughed and said that he had “broken the curse” and “achieved his goal,” said, “I was satisfied with baseball this year and had fun. I’m also motivated to play baseball. It was the first time I knew that LG was going to win a championship after 29 years, so it was cool to be a part of LG’s history.”
LG’s first Korean Series title in 29 years. Austin is eager, too. He won a championship in high school, but hasn’t won a title since turning pro. “I’ve been close to winning a championship before, but I haven’t won a championship,” Austin said, “so I really want to win a championship.”
The KBO’s tiered postseason is unfamiliar to Austin. “It’s definitely different,” Austin said of training and waiting for the Korean Series after winning the regular season. “In the U.S., it’s not always about the team that’s been playing the best, it’s about who’s in the flow at that moment,” he says. “I think Korea has the advantage of being able to take a break and play scrimmages. We’ll just have to keep our senses sharp during this time.”
LG’s Austin and Kelly pose for a photo during the regular season championship trophy presentation ceremony at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Friday.
Austin and Oh Ji-hwan celebrate the LG Twins’ regular season championship during a ceremony after the game between KIA and LG at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 15.
Austin expresses his gratitude during the LG Twins’ regular season championship ceremony after the game between LG and Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Thursday.
He said he believes in what he has been doing. “The Korean Series is the biggest game of my baseball career,” Austin said. There are a lot of nerves. So I think it’s important to stay calm,” he said, adding, “I believe in what we’ve been doing since spring training. It’s important to believe in the players, the coaching staff, the front office, and the path that we’ve been on and show it to the end.”
Austin was able to challenge for the batting title at the end of the season. Until Oct. 3, when LG clinched the regular season title, there were seven RBIs between Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan (99) and Austin (92). Since Noh was at the Asian Games, Austin could only focus on his batting title. However, he didn’t show much enthusiasm for the batting title, taking one game off and one game out of the lineup. “I don’t think he’s thinking about the batting title,” said Yeom Kyung-yeop, who was trying to keep the title contenders in the lineup after the championship was clinched. Austin ended the season with 95 RBIs, good for second place.
When asked about the batting title, Austin had a surprising answer. “It’s not that I wasn’t thinking about the batting title,” he rambles, “but from the moment I clinched first place, I was thinking about the Korean Series.” “I thought, ‘Let’s focus on the Korean Series,'” Austin continued, “and from then on, I thought about staying in shape and keeping my senses in check. I thought I was preparing for the Korean Series.”
토토사이트That’s why Austin batted No. 4 for the Twins in their first home game at LG Champions Park in Icheon on the 23rd, and he hit the only two hits of the game.
This guy. He’s serious about winning the Korean Series.