At Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 23rd, when the Lotte Giants and the Samsung Lions were attached, Lotte had a chance to hit third base with two outs with Na Seung-yeop’s double and a bases-loaded walk.메이저놀이터
Lotte took out its pinch hitter Jung Hoon card. Jung Hoon, who faced off Samsung pitcher Lee Sang-min, sent deep hits to center field and right field in 2B2S. The ball reached close to the fence. Samsung center fielder Kim Ji-chan followed the ball as he sped. The result is out.
It was believed that it would be difficult for center field to catch as it was more biased toward right field. However, Kim Ji-chan’s main focus erased Jeong Hoon’s hit and kept the team.
Pohang Stadium on the 21st, when the Doosan Bears and the Samsung Lions joined. With Samsung leading 3-0, Doosan Yang Eui-ji made a hit that went behind center field. Long hit course. But again this time, Kim Ji-chan used his fast feet to follow the ball, eventually putting the ball in his glove.
Kim Ji-chan joined Samsung in the second round (15th overall) of the rookie draft in 2020. He is short for a professional player with a height of 1m63. He was listed as the shortest player in the KBO League, but he quickly challenged Samsung to become a starting player by banking on his outstanding flagship and stable hitting ability.
This season, Kim Ji-chan is constantly setting the table, hitting a batting average of 314 and a on-base percentage of 0.399 in 117 games as a leadoff. In particular, the steal success rate is 91.7 percent, ranking second after KIA Kim Do-young (35 steals, 92.1 percent success rate) among players who have successfully stole more than 30 times.
He is adding to his offensive power, and he is creating scenes that deserve applause every day in defense.
Above all, Kim faced a major change in defense this season. If he has played as an infielder including second base, he has started double play in the outfield ahead of this season. With his fast feet and extraordinary sense, Kim Ji-chan quickly became a starting center fielder at Samsung.
The coach couldn’t hide his happy smile. “He probably had a hard time adjusting to the season early on, but now he is taking it easy. As an outfielder, the ball shakes a little at first,” Park said with a smile. “But now he has more leeway, and his ability to deal with the situation has definitely improved as he prepares in advance.”
Park mentioned Kim Ji-chan’s name along with the best center fielder in the KBO League. He believed that Kim Ji-chan can demonstrate his capabilities as much as Chung Soo-bin (Doosan players) and Park Hae-min (Samsung players) who are equipped with fast feet and judgment.
“The speed of catching up with the ball is more than Park Hae-min and Jeong Su-bin, who are the best center field players in the field. I think we should improve our coping skills more,” Park said.