Trade transfer is changing baseball life.
NC Dinos infielder Kim Hui-jip started as the fifth batter and first baseman in the last of three consecutive weekend games against the KIA Tigers in the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at NC Park in Changwon on Saturday. He had one hit (one homer) and three RBIs and two runs from four times at bat on the day, contributing to his team’s 8-2 victory.
At the top of the third inning, Kim Hui-jip’s swing changed the course of the game. At the bottom of the third inning, when NC was leading 1-2, it hit a forkball by KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha with runners on the first and second bases with one out. With a three-run homer (season No. 14) of 110 meters that flew over the left fence, the team turned the game around 4-2. At the same time, with the homer, Kim had a three-digit hit in a single season for the first time since his debut.
Afterwards, NC added three runs in the bottom of the fifth and one run in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 8-2. Kim contributed greatly to his team’s victory with the finishing shot.
NC manager Kang In-kwon gave a thumbs-up after the game, saying, “At an important moment, Kim Hwi-jip’s come-from-behind home run was the decisive scene to bring victory.”
After the game, Kim Hui-jip said, “I’m glad that my team won the Winning Series. I was disappointed and angry because the result was not good yesterday (24th/no hit in 4 times at bat), but today (25th) I took the batter’s box with the determination to play well. Personally, I don’t think I’ve done well against KIA, but I’m glad that it led to a good result.” 안전놀이터
Kim has played in 113 games this year, posting a batting average of 0.254 (100 hits in 394) with 14 homers and 56 RBIs with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.739. He has been showing off his skills since joining NC after leaving his former team, the Kiwoom Heroes halfway through the season. Major attack indicators including batting average, home run, RBI and OPS are all career-high. Since joining NC, he has posted a batting average of 0.273 (60 hits in 220 at-bats) with nine homers and 31 RBIs in 62 games with an OPS of 0.786. Fans are saying, “(You can do it) are Kim Hwi-jip!” This is a buzzword that shows the popularity of Kim.
Not only fans but also NC has high expectations for Kim Hui-jip. He is now in his fourth year as a professional player since his debut in 2021, but he has gained various experiences including the Korean Series. He also has strong potential. He can play infield propagation and punch long balls at the same time. He is an attractive infielder. There is a high possibility that he will grow into a main infielder in the next generation of NC. The NC Dinosaurs boldly invested two nomination rights in this potential. He highly valued Kim by giving Kiwoom two rookie nominations in the “2025 KBO League Rookie Draft.”
Kim aims to continue his current sense to the end of the season. Recently, he is playing as a first baseman in place of Matt Davidson, who is unable to play defense due to left adductor muscle injury. “I don’t know how far the first baseman can handle this. In that sense, it is difficult for him to be a first baseman,” Kim said.
Kim Hwi-jip sent a message of gratitude to his fans for giving him generous support and to the training part that takes good care of his physical condition. “I think it’s all thanks to the fans who came to Changwon NC Park to cheer for him even in the hot weather. And I also want to thank the trainers for taking good care of their physical condition,” he said.