Lee Jung-hoo (25), Kiwoom Heroes’ main hitter, survived. Kim Hye-seong (24), who had been leading the team’s attack, hesitated.
Kiwoom lost 2-3 in the second leg of a weekend three-game series against the 2023 KBO League KIA Tigers held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. Following the 1-10 defeat in the first leg, the second consecutive loss. They gave up a winning series (2 wins or more in 3 matches). It is painful to give up both games involving foreign pitchers Eric Yokishi and Ariel Furado. Kiwoom has suffered 4 losses (1 win) in the last 5 games.
Lee Jung-hoo, who struggled unexpectedly with a batting average in the early 20s in April, is feeling hot lately. In the five games he played this week, he recorded a batting average of 50%. 4 doubles only. score is 5
Lee Jung-hoo changed his batting form last winter. He was trying to develop his quick ball handling skills. However, he had a hard time adapting, and when the pressure increased due to his low batting average and mid-lower team performance, his unique swing control and pioneering vision were shaken. In the end, he resumed the form of last season (2022), when he won 5 batting crowns and MVP. He immediately regained his ‘hitting machine’ aspect.
The problem is the off-beat of the other line. Kim Hye-seong, who had a good sense of hitting, has been sluggish recently. He recorded a batting average of 0.352 (50 hits in 142 at-bats) in 36 games he played until last week. He led the league in hits and runs (28) and stolen bases (12).
But in his last five games, his batting average is just 0.067 (1-for-15). He got on base only four times, including three walks. Except for the match against Doosan on the 18th, when he recorded ‘3 on base’ with 1 hit and 2 walks, he was generally sluggish. The batting average for the season also fell to 0.339.
When Lee Jung-hoo’s sluggishness continued, Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki pulled him as the number one hitter and supported him so that he could take as many at-bats as possible. And Kim Hye-seong was put in the third place, which was Lee Jung-hoo’s seat.
Kim Hye-seong was not shaken by the change in batting order. Until last week, he recorded a batting average of 0.405 in 48 at-bats as the third hitter. She had a higher batting average (0.381) than her previous two most appearances. 카지노사이트
Eui-ri Lee (KIA), who had a batting average of 10% last season, and Adonis Medina (KIA), who are still unfamiliar, and Dong-ju Kim and Won-jae Lee (above Doosan) are unique. However, even in the match on the 16th against Choi Won-jun (Doosan), who was strong with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, he failed to hit in 3 at-bats.
Edison Russell, who had been adding weight to Kim Hye-sung as the center hitter, only had a batting average of 0.200 in 5 games this week. Lee Won-seok, who was recruited to improve attack power, also scored 0.211. Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hui-jip were the only batters who had good hitting feel.
Lee Jung-hoo is now showing a good sense of hitting to return to his original position (#3). Kim Hye-seong needs a springboard for a rebound. Attention is focusing on whether coach Hong Won-ki will try to change the batting order in the third game of the KIA on the 21st, which is in danger of three consecutive losses.