When he comes, fall comes!
“A strong and courageous general.
A gourd made of iron.
affection.
volume"

The Never-ending Baseball Story of the Invincible Park Jeong-kwon

Park Jeong-kwon, the 4th batter, who wore gold-rimmed glasses with lenses the size of a palm and hit a home run.
“This is the Fall Men, Park, Jeong, and Kwon!” The shouts that echoed from the broadcast booth during Game 1 of the 2018 playoffs remain vivid in our memories to this day.
At the heart of the SK Wyverns' victory that year, when the odds of winning were only 13.8 percent, was Park Jeong-kwon, who hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning.


But it wasn't all just luck.
The reason why a player who has reached the age of a veteran was able to hit a solid home run until the end is because he had persevered and worked harder than anyone else.
Countless swings and misses, strikeouts, and a ton of foul balls in an attempt to hit a home run…
He overcame the difficult process with strong will and became an indispensable player in the post-season, earning the nickname 'invincible'.

"Invincible Park Jeong-kwon" contains the honest story of Park Jeong-kwon's baseball life as the 4th hitter representing the SK Dynasty era and his experiences as a batting coach for SSG after retirement.
Above all, his in-depth story about 'baseball' from the perspective of a coach and his affectionate gaze toward current players and aspiring baseball players stand out.
Additionally, you can hear about coaching and mental management that you have always been curious about through a Q&A with SSG Landers mental coach Kim Joo-yoon, and see photos of his active days as an appendix.

When I was diagnosed that I needed to wear glasses, I thought about it carefully.
As a left-handed hitter, I have to focus my gaze to the right when I stand at the plate.
You have to glare at the pitcher with all your might, but if you are wearing thin or small glasses or goggles at the moment of hitting, your vision may momentarily go out of focus when the ball comes in front of your eyes.
This means that even if it's just for a very short time, you can lose track of the ball due to the difference between the ball outside the lens and the ball entering the lens.
For this reason, I insisted on wearing glasses with large lenses.
And it turned out to be a good choice, like a tailored suit.
With corrective vision, you can focus on the pitch within the same field of view from beginning to end, making it possible to hit with precision.

--- p.40

If you do one thing for 10 or 20 years, at some point you experience a moment when success gains momentum from the dense accumulation of time and results.
It wasn't until I was in my thirties, after playing baseball for over twenty years, that I finally saw some success.
It was when I won the MVP award in the 2010 Korean Series.
When I was a late bloomer who hit home runs and won the team championship and individual titles, I was actually surprised at how calm I was.
The fact that I, who loved baseball from the moment I first held a ball, was able to achieve this, made me confess like Seungwon Moon from deep within.
“You did a great job playing baseball!”
--- pp.71~72

The most crucial moment in establishing the image of Park Jeong-gwon as the 'Autumn Man' was the first game of the 2018 playoffs against Nexen Heroes.
The score was tied 8:8.
And then the bottom of the 9th inning arrived.
Last chance with 1 out and a runner on 1st base.
Manager Hillman, who was sitting in the dugout, spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“The government is mine!” And so, my fateful hour had arrived.
I still can't forget it.
A fastball that digs into a slightly lower course to get a count.
I don't know whether it was the body or the mind that came first.
My bat swung powerfully, and I was filled with confidence when I felt the ball hit the center of my bat rather than me hitting the ball.
"That's right! That's it!" The ball flew powerfully towards center field, and before I knew it, I was already running towards first base, one arm raised towards the sky.
The ball went over the fence and landed under the scoreboard.
The stands were in an uproar, with players jumping up and down and gathering at home base to see their teammates.

--- pp.136~137

Park Jeong-gwon went from player to coach.
I thought it was a welcome offer, and after becoming a coach, one clear change came.
It would be a lie to say that there is no stress or burden that comes from being a coach.
However, compared to the pressure and stress I felt when I was an active player, I felt a lot of change.
And on the other hand, I've come to accept that I'm really retired.
We often hear stories of people falling into depression as they go through retirement and a change in status.
The inevitable chapter change in life has finally arrived.

--- pp.155~156