Austin talks about winning the Home Run Derby.
LG Twins Austin won the Comcast Baseball Home Run Derby, a pre-event to the 2024 KBO All-Star Game, on July 5 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, South Korea.
Austin swept both the first round and the finals in sudden-death games to clinch the title. He is the sixth foreign player in history to win the Home Run Derby. The first since Lomac (SK) in 2019. Fifth LG player in history. The first since Jimenez in 2016. Austin received 5 million won in prize money and merchandise.
Austin hit four home runs in the first round and defeated Do Young Kim in sudden death to reach the final. He defeated Peraza, who hit nine homers in the first round, in two sudden deaths. In the second round, Austin hit four home runs.
“I wasn’t really expecting to win,” Austin said. I just came out to have fun, and I got a lot of luck. Peraza did a great job,” he said, adding, “I didn’t expect to have two Sudden Deaths, I’ve never had a day like this before.”
Austin, who competed in last year’s Home Run Derby but hit just one home run, said before the All-Star break that his goal was to improve on last year’s performance. He wasn’t even thinking about winning. “I actually thought I was going to lose to Do Young Kim in the first Sudden Death,” Austin said, “probably because it was her first All-Star Game. “I think it was probably because it was her first All-Star Game and she was under a lot of pressure, so it wasn’t easy. You have to be lucky to compete. I think I got lucky,” she reflected.
Her final opponent, Peraza, had a dominant first round and quickly tied Austin with four home runs with two outs in the final. But he didn’t add another home run until the second Sudden Death.
“When (Peraza) got to the eighth out, I thought, ‘Maybe he can do a Sudden Death,'” Austin said. “I was actually cheering for him to hit one more home run, because I wanted him to win the title as a foreign hitter. I’m in my second 19사이트 year in the KBO and I played in the All-Star Game last year. I wanted him to do well,” said Austin. “We were encouraging each other,” Austin said. At the end, he said he was tired and couldn’t do it anymore,” Austin said, adding, “He came to Korea for the first time this year and is doing well, so I’m still cheering for him.”
Austin had a special partner in the championship. Austin’s pitching partner was LG’s first team manager Seo In-seok. He is in charge of the first-team squad.
“Sometimes he throws me batting balls in training, and it’s my favorite batting ball I’ve ever hit, so I jokingly asked him to throw me a ball if I ever play in the Home Run Derby, and it worked out. I was nervous, and I’m sure he was nervous, but he was really good,” he laughs. “I want to give him all the money,” Austin added.
Austin’s family, who always come to the ballpark to cheer him on during the season, were also there. His wife and son watched the Home Run Derby from the field. “I feel empowered by my family,” Austin says. “When you have a kid, you have the power of a parent,” he smiles, adding, “I actually came here just to have fun and play with my wife and play with my kid, and we ended up winning.
“I’m looking forward to the All-Star game tomorrow. I want to thank the fans for their support. I’m grateful to the fans and the players who voted for me to play in the All-Star Game,” he said, adding, “I have a performance plan for tomorrow, but I’m not going to give anything away.”