While experiencing the worst slump, I noticed the opponent team’s third baseman’s hit. Seeing him hit two consecutive home runs, and three consecutive long balls, I felt a big cry. Then, I took a new path. This is the story of Moon Bo-kyung (24) of LG who makes long balls with her own swing in every count.
He has surely changed. Even if he is in a tight spot with two strikes, he makes similar swings as when he hits the first pitch. Like an athlete who is always in his stride, he secures a result by swinging at a long shot without being chased. The same was true of the game against SSG in Jamsil on Wednesday. At the ball count 0-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Moon did not miss rival pitcher Song Young-jin’s wild and powerful fork ball. He hit the ball across the top of the strike zone and fired a solo shot over the right-center fence.먹튀검증
With the homer, Moon set his 18th arch of the season. The number of homers he hit in a season is 10, which he posted last year, but this year he is expecting to double that. In addition to the homer, Moon also had a hit in the first inning at bat, and a hit in the middle as the first batter at the second inning at the third inning at bat. In addition, he had two hits in two at-bats and four on base, including a walk in the last at-bat in the eighth inning. Since his deployment as the fourth hitter in the second half of the season, he has been flying with a batting average of 0.316 with eight homers, 37 RBIs and an OPS of 0.964.
LG Moon Bo-kyung hits a solo home run against SSG Song Young-jin with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning of the 2024 KBO League game at Jamsil Stadium on the 4th. Moon Bo-kyung’s 18th home run of the season. 2024. 9. 4. Jamsil | Reporter Park Jin-up upandup@sportsseoul.com
There was a clear turning point. He changed his approach to Kim Young-woong, 20, of the Samsung Lions, not to change his batting order.
After the game, Moon said, “I don’t think about getting struck out. Whether it’s a strikeout or an infield grounder, it’s the same outing. I’m not a fast hitter. So if I can, I want to swing and hit long balls.”
“I was in the middle of two strikes, so I might have paid more attention to contact if I was in the past. But now I have the mindset that I need to swing for sure. Whether the batting performance is good or bad, I try to maintain my approach at bat as much as possible to reduce the ups and downs,” he said.
He also explained the critical moment. “It was the Daegu game in April. When I saw Kim Young-woong’s swing, I thought he was cool. I also thought I should strike out like that even if I get struck out. That moment is the starting point for me to take this swing now. It was so impressive that I wanted Kim to use him as a role model,” Moon said.
It was the worst moment for Moon. In the three consecutive games in Daegu from April 23 to 25, Moon had no hits in 11 times at bat. On the other hand, Kim Young-woong performed very well on April 24, the second game of the three consecutive games, as he recorded three hits and three RBIs in four times at bat, including two homers. This moment was a stimulus to Moon.
“Kim Young-woong is a three-year-old younger brother. Still, he was really cool. I even asked him out of curiosity,” Moon said. “Kim’s answer was simple. He said, ‘Just watch the ball and hit the ball’. Me too. I like to watch the ball and hit the ball. Watching Kim keep swinging despite strikeouts, I made up my mind to go as well,” he recalled of the three consecutive games in Daegu in late April.
That’s how Moon Bo-kyung’s new style is being completed. “I tried to maintain this style from that day on. When my batting started to improve, my batting order changed to No. 4, and I just start with the mindset that I swing from the first pitch. When the ball hits a course that is good enough to hit from the first pitch, I swing. No matter how the result comes out, I have to hit the first pitch to get the timing right. I am swinging aggressively like that,” he said.
The result is perfect. Moon has a batting average of 0.372 at the first pitch of this season, three homers and an OPS of 1.023. Based on July 10 when his batting order is fixed as the fourth batter, he has a batting average of 0.43 at the first pitch and an OPS of 1.252. There is no reason why the bat should not be seen from the first pitch.
A familiar hitting formula has also been created. After hitting a home run or a timely hit, Austin often makes consecutive hits by targeting at the first pitch.
“Since the opponent team’s pitcher was hit by Austin, I thought I would try to get a strike from the first pitch,” Moon said. “I try to hit the ball aggressively accordingly,” adding, “I feel at ease because Austin handled it first. It was the same when Austin was No. 4 and I was No. 5. I am grateful to Austin Dean for his great performance.”
Although he called his younger brother Kim Young-woong a role model, his younger role model was the big leaguer. He started playing baseball while watching Troy Tulowitzki, a shortstop who hit home runs in the Colorado Rockies. One of the reasons he changed his jersey number to No. 2 was Tulowitzki.
“I’m not at the level of Tulowitzki yet. If I hit 20 home runs, I’ll think about it then,” Moon said. “Honestly, I think medium and long-distance hitters are more appropriate than home run hitters. I’ll keep going in this style.”