Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Jung-hoo (25), who appeared with short hair, played an active part with 3 hits after a long time.
In the match against the Doosan Bears in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 16th, Lee Jung-hoo started as a center fielder and recorded 3 hits in 4 at-bats.
Lee Jung-hoo,메이저사이트 who had been sluggish this season with a batting average of 2.3 in 34 games (32 hits in 139 at-bats), 3 homers, 18 RBIs, and an OPS of .668 in 34 games before the match, appeared on the field today with his hair cut short. Perhaps thanks to his extraordinary resolve, Lee Jung-hoo played an active role, getting three hits in 38 days since the NC game on the 8th of last month (3 hits in 5 at-bats, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 runs).
Lee Jung-hoo, who hit a double as the lead batter in the first inning, failed to score as the follow-up hit did not come out. He also came on as the lead batter in the third inning and hit, but was caught as a pitcher check.
In the sixth inning, Lee Jung-hoo, who entered the plate again as the lead batter, hit a double and entered scoring position once again. Lee Jung-hoo, who succeeded in advancing to third base with Lim Ji-yeol’s hit, scored a goal by stepping home on Kim Tae-jin’s sacrifice fly. In the last at-bat with one out and first base in the 7th inning, he hit a good ball, but it was caught by the right fielder, and it became a double play as runner Lee Hyeong-jong, who took the lead toward second base, was put out. The match ended with Kiwoom losing 1-4.
Overall, it was a disappointing game, but it is positive that Lee Jung-hoo created an opportunity to rebound by hitting three hits again. Not only did his season batting average rise to .245 (35 hits in 143 at-bats), but he also added two long hits and OPS rose to .704, surpassing .700 for the first time since the match against Lotte on the 28th of last month (OPS.716). .
Kiwoom is ninth in the league with 4.03 points per game this season. Hanwha (3.69) is the only team with a lower score than Kiwoom. Since the pitchers are holding up so well that the team’s ERA is second in the league (3.46), Kiwoom’s team performance is likely to rebound if only the batting line survives. And in the end, Lee Jung-hoo holds the key to the survival of the other line.
Last season, Lee Jung-hoo, who won 5 batting crowns (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, and most hits) and the league MVP, ranked among the best hitters in the KBO League, announced his advancement to the major leagues after this season. This year is a really important season for Kiwoom and Lee Junghoo himself. Attention is focusing on whether Lee Jung-hoo will be able to show himself again for the rest of the season and lead Kiwoom’s upward trend.