I thought I was good at hitting hits, but now I am good at home runs. There is nothing more I want.
Leading Lotte’s victory was the “one shot” of Victor Reyes, a 30-year-old foreign hitter. Reyes started as the fourth batter and right fielder in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League game against Samsung held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Monday, and displayed a chance to garner the first and second bases with one out in the top of the first inning, exploding a three-run homerun. Reyes targeted a fastball of Samsung starter Baek Jeong-hyun at 142 kilometers per hour.
Lotte won the game 11-3 and Reyes’ homerun was the final hit. More than anything, it was a significant victory for Lotte in that it escaped from a three-game losing streak. Reyes led the team’s batting lineup by scoring two hits, three RBIs and two runs from five times at bat, including his 14th homer of this season. 토토사이트
Reyes, who has a batting average of .352 with 14 homers and 89 RBIs in 114 games this season, is a batter who shows tremendous contact ability as he ranks first in the most hits category with 161 hits. He is considered one of the candidates who can achieve 200 hits for the first time in 10 years since Seo Geon-chang in 2014.
Recently, however, the number of home runs has increased, attracting more attention. Reyes has exploded with four home runs and eight RBIs in recent 10 games. He hit seven home runs in 80 games in the first half, but he already hit seven in 34 games in the second.
Since Reyes, who has already shown the highest level of accuracy in the KBO league, is hitting long balls, Lotte has nothing more to ask for. However, what Reyes is paying attention to is not batting average, most hits, or home runs, but RBI.
“We have been seeing a lot of home runs lately. Nothing has changed in particular. We are focusing every moment on producing hitters,” Reyes said. “I am not giving much thought to my personal record. As we are positioned at the centerline, we need to increase our RBIs to help our team win and play fall baseball. In that sense, I want to produce more RBIs, which is the role of the fourth batter.” Reyes, who has 89 RBIs, is not only the No. 1 RBI in his team but also tied for eighth in the league in RBIs.
How many people would expect Reyes to display the highest level of batting performance? Indeed, there were concerns over Reyes’ hamstring injury during his Major League career. However, there have been no signs of injury so far. “I have never heard of Reyes’ hamstring condition,” Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said.
This is why Lotte fans have no choice but to fall for Reyes. Lotte fans’ enthusiastic cheering makes Reyes’ bat dance even more. “Busan fans really love you. I’ve never received such special love, but I want to express my sincere gratitude,” Reyes said, “Thank you for loving me so much, which is not special. I will not give up the rest of the game, and I will try to increase my RBI to present more wins.”
Reyes, simply put, is a batter who has no weaknesses. Attention is focusing on whether Reyes, who is equipped with a long hit, will be able to give Lotte fans an unforgettable gift of advancing to the postseason.