“Now the players to come are almost there. We need to set the best with the fielders and solve the game.”
The key to the batting lineup that KIA Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho is thinking of was also Captain Na Sung-bum and foreign hitter Socrates Brito. If the two players’ bats are firmly lit, the team’s offense will be able to work more smoothly.유흥알바
KIA broke its chain of two consecutive losses with an 8-2 victory against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 9th. The second consecutive losing series following the match against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on the 4th and 6th is definitely a disappointing result, but it was also meaningful to end the week by escaping from consecutive losses.
Looking at the contents of the game, the main hitters were happy to recover their sense of hitting. In the case of the game on the 9th, Na Sung-bum wielded a hard hit of two hits, three RBIs and one run from four times at bat, and led KIA to a great victory.
With runners on first and second bases with no outs in the top of the first inning, Na hit a two-run triple in the first inning, and a timely RBI in the top of the second inning, giving Kia a win at the beginning of the game. It was also encouraging that he produced his signature fast and strong batting performance.
Na Sung-beom had the bad luck of getting damaged in his hamstring just four days before the opening of the regular season in March. He recovered his physical condition and appeared in the first team from April 28, but his batting pace rarely came up.
Na seemed to be improving his batting pace smoothly with a batting average of 0.250 (23 hits in 92 times at bat) with six homers, 19 RBIs and an OPS of 0.828 in 25 games in May. However, before the multi-hit production against Doosan on the 9th, he was in a severe slump with four hits in 27 times at bat (batting average of 0.148) in seven games.
KIA will ease the burden on the management of its away batters in the Seoul metropolitan area, where Na Sung-beom will face SSG Landers in Incheon from the 11th to the 13th and KT Wiz in Suwon from the 14th to the 16th.
Socrates’ hit in the last three consecutive games is also a good sign. Notably, he hit a two-run homerun off Doosan left-hander Lee Kyo-hoon on the 8th and enjoyed a thrilling experience. He hit his 11th homerun in the season against the NC Dinos on the 30th of last month.
Socrates’ record for 2024 season is 0.273 (68 hits in 249 times at bat) with 12 homers, 42 RBIs and four steals in 64 games, with a 0.781. Not bad, but considering that he is a foreign hitter who needs to perform better than a domestic player, it is hard to give him a good score. It is true that he needs to make more efforts.
In order for KIA to continue its battle for the lead, the power of left-handed hitters, including Na Sung-beom, Socrates and Choi Hyung-woo, is absolutely necessary. Choi Hyung-woo is also a little off the pace in June, so Na Sung-bum and Socrates need to work harder.
Coach Lee Bum-ho expects synergy effects in the case of fielders as all the main players are gathered. They say that since the complete batting line can be operated, the firepower suitable for this should be shown with performance.
Coach Lee Bum-ho expressed satisfaction before the match against Doosan in Jamsil on the 9th, saying, “I think Socrates is reviving a little as he hit a home run the previous day,” adding, “I felt that the central batting line was recovering little by little.”
“All the players (in the main league) are here. If only Na Sung-bum can find his location, he needs to play the game based on the best conditions of the current players,” he said. “I think Socrates’ home run would have served as an opportunity for the players to focus again, and I think it’s good.”