Kiwoom's Cheongunmanma 'Finally' returns, waiting for a horror clean-up... The 'No. 1 batting average' table setter gets more strength
Kiwoom's Cheongunmanma 'Finally' returns, waiting for a horror clean-up... The 'No. 1 batting average' table setter gets more strength
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A horror clean-up trio is on the way to the lowest-ranked Kiwoom Heroes. While prospective major leaguer Kim Hye-sung (25) and best clutch heater Song Sung-moon (28) are active, Lee Hyung-jong (35), who led the hero corps' early rise, is also ready to return.룸알바
Lee Hyung-jong started as the fifth batter and right fielder in the home game of the 2024 Medi Hill KBO regular season against the Armed Forces Sports Unit (Sangmu) at Goyang Baseball Stadium on the 28th of last month and recorded no hits and one strikeout in 2 at-bats.
It was his first return to action in about two months since he was excluded from the first-team entry on April 22 due to a fractured columnar bone in his left foot. He also started as the second batter and right fielder against Sangmu in the game on June 29 and checked his physical condition. He also had no hit, walked, and one strikeout in two times at bat, but he had no problem playing in the game.
Ahead of the Gocheok LG match on the 2nd, Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said on the possibility of Lee Hyung-jong's return to the game for the first time in the second half of the year, "After playing two games, I received a report that there was no abnormality. I think we should decide (the first team call-up) through a final meeting during the All-Star break."
Unlike young hitters, veteran hitters don't hold rehabilitation games very long. There is no need to improve their sense of play in the second division because they already have the know-how and sense to deal with pitchers. An official from Kiwoom also explained, "We can't say for sure when exactly they will come, but it's right that they are close to returning."
This is good news for Kiwoom. Lee Hyung-jong, who joined the team through the Futures FA in November 2022 for a total of 2 billion won (approx. He was one of the leading players in Kiwoom's stellar performance in the early days of this year. He played a batting average of 0.268 (19 hits in 71 at-bats), four homers and 17 RBIs in 21 games, and an OPS of 0.881.
However, the joy was brief, and a foul ball he hit in the top of the eighth inning against Doosan Bears in Jamsil on April 21 hit his left foot. Lee Hyung-jong was replaced by Lim Ji-yeol after complaining of severe pain, and the examination result showed that it took about three months for the surgery to be rehabilitated.
Lee Hyung-jong's return is like a battle for Kiwoom. The joining of right-handed batters Lee Hyung-jong is also a great help in diversifying the outfield and batting order. Currently, Kiwoom's outfield has a large number of left-handed hitters including Lee Ju-hyung, Dawson, Bae Sang-kwon and Lee Yong-kyu.
Even though the team ranks among the top in the league this season, it is not the case. The table-setters led by "second Lee Jung-hoo" Lee Ju-hyung (23) and "All-Star Best 12" Ronnie Dawson (29) rank No. 1 in the league with a batting average of 0.319. Kim Hye-sung, who declared his bid for the U.S. Major League after this season, and Song Seong-moon, who burst his potential in the 10th year since his debut, have been assigned to the third to fourth batting order, creating a strong scoring formula.
One unfortunate thing was the absence of the fifth batter to back them up. Veteran Choi Joo-hwan (36) and national infielder Kim Hui-jip (22, NC) received many opportunities, but they did not live up to expectations. Until May, Choi Joo-hwan had a batting average of 0.200, four homers and 22 RBIs, and an OSP of 0.567, and Kim Hui-jip was finally traded to NC on May 30 after hitting 0.230 and five homers and 25 RBIs with an OPS of 0.678.
Since then, however, the batting performance of the players has been trending upward, fueling the desire for a strong fifth batter. Throughout the month of June, Kim Hye-sung posted a batting average of 0.452 (38 hits in 84 times at bat) in 22 games, two homers and 15 RBIs in OPS 1.219 and Song Seong-moon posted a batting average of 0.404 (40 hits in 99 times at bat) in 24 games, three homers and 21 RBIs in OPS 1.014, which could enable him to become a monthly MVP. Lee Ju-hyung slightly slowed down by posting a batting average of 0.247 (24 hits in 116 times at bat) in 24 games, but Dawson showed off his batting performance of 0.354 (29 hits in 82 times at bat) in 20 games, and showed off his batting performance of 0.973 with two homers and 12 RBIs in OPS.
Choi Joo-hwan, who had been sluggish, also showed signs of hitting with a batting average of 0.425 (17 hits in 40 times at bat) after the match against Hanwha Eagles in Cheongju on June 19, giving weight to the No. 5 batting order. Thanks to this, clean-up batting order ranked first in the league (0.399) for the month of June. If Lee Hyung-jong joins the team, Kiwoom will gain a powerful lineup consisting of Lee Joo-hyung, Dawson, Kim Hye-sung, Song Seong-moon, Lee Hyung-jong and Choi Joo-hwan. In addition, as Lee has the ability to produce home runs that Kim Hye-sung and Song Seong-moon lack, it will be easier for the table setter who left his home to make it home.