Twins outfielder trying to stay on even keel in 3rd Korean Series appearance

LG Twins Park Hae-min / Newsis

Through the first two games of the knotted-up Korean Series against the KT Wiz, the LG Twins couldn't have asked for more from their No. 2 hitter, Park Hae-min.

Leadoff man Hong Chang-ki is hitless in nine plate appearances and has been on base just once. Park has been doing the heavy lifting in setting the table for the big boppers behind him, batting .500 (3-for-6) while drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch once. He has a .625 on-base percentage and has scored twice.

The key to the early success for the 33-year-old center fielder has been to stay on an even keel. It's a lesson from the 16 postseason games he'd played over his career before this year's Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.

"Over the years, I've realized that I shouldn't get too high or too low," Park said before Game 2 of this best-of-seven series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday. "I've been trying to stay calm and maintain my composure in the box."

Park won his first and so far only Korean Series title with the Samsung Lions in 2014. The following year, his Lions lost in the Korean Series. And this is Park's first appearance in the Korean Series since then.

Even with all that experience, Park said he was nervous before his first trip to the plate in the first game Tuesday.

"Fortunately, I was able to calm myself down and get a base hit," Park said of his single against starter Ko Young-pyo.

The Twins wound up losing that game 3-2. Afterward, Ko singled out his strikeout of Park in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runners aboard as his biggest moment of the game.

"The game could have turned out differently if I had done some damage in that situation," Park said of the fourth-inning rally when the game was tied at 2-2. "But I tried to put that behind me because I had to get ready for the next inning quickly."

Park played a key supporting role in the Twins' 5-4, come-from-behind win Wednesday.

LG Twins center fielder Park Hae-min, left, high-fives shortstop Oh Ji-hwan after the Twins turned a triple play against the KT Wiz during Game 1 of the Korean Series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Nov. 7. Yonhap

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and the Twins down 4-2, Park worked a walk from reliever Son Dong-hyun, who had been untouchable in the postseason up to that point. The Wiz summoned a new reliever, Park Yeong-hyun, from the bullpen, and when Kim Hyun-soo lined a double down the right field line, Park Hae-min turned on his jets and scored from first.

That set the stage for Park Dong-won's go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth.

The previous day, after the Twins had dropped the opener at home, Park Hae-min said he tried to get his teammates to follow his cool, calm and collected approach.

"When I was with the Lions, we lost the first game and then won the Korean Series in 2014. Then in 2015, we took the first game but lost the series," Park recalled. "I told the guys that losing Game 1 meant nothing. Even though we lost, we still swung the bat well."

Now the Twins are trying to do the exact same thing that the 2014 Lions did.

"My goal is to get on base every time I step into the box," Park said. "If I don't succeed, I will try again on the next trip." (Yonhap)