Is it the aftermath of the WBC (World Baseball Classic)? Kim Hyun-soo (35, LG), who devoted himself to the country as the national team captain at the 2023 WBC tournament, struck out three times in his first trial match. It was Kim Hyun-soo who showed a sophisticated sense of hitting along with the usual nickname ‘hitting machine’, but he seems to have yet to find a sense.
The LG Twins lost 1-7 in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO demonstration game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 24th. LG marked 7 wins and 3 losses in the demonstration game, and KT marked 4 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses, respectively.
On this day, Kim Hyun-soo started as the fifth hitter and left fielder. It was his second exhibition game of the season and his first start. Kim Hyun-soo played as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning and 5th batting order of Park Dong-won in the demonstration game against KT Wiz the previous day (23rd). Kim Hyeon-soo, who entered the at-bat with a chance to first base with one out, ended up with a fly ball in right field against KT pitcher Min Kim.메이저사이트
Even on the 24th, Kim Hyun-soo failed to produce a hit. In the second inning, as the lead batter, he struck out on a swing against KT starter Schulser. On the ball count of 2-2, the bat on the 5th pitch went in vain. In the 4th inning, he struck out on a swing and withdrew. He entered the plate with the first base unharmed, but after a full count game, he missed the bat on the 6th pitch.
In the 5th inning, he missed a golden opportunity to score. While LG scored the first run with Lee Cheon-woong’s timely hit, Oh Ji-hwan hit the infield in front of the pitcher in the ongoing situation with 2 out 1st and 2nd base. A perfect chance to top the bases. Kim Hyun-soo at bat. However, after the swing of the first pitch, KT pitcher Son Dong-hyun attacked the second pitch, but lowered his head with a ground ball from second base. In the 8th inning, another RBI opportunity came. 2nd and 3rd base unscathed. However, against KT pitcher Park Young-hyun, Kim Hyun-soo lost face by striking out on three pitches.
It was Kim Hyun-soo, not another player, so it was definitely unusual to strike out three times in one game. Kim Hyun-soo played in 141 games last season and recorded a batting average of 0.286 (150 hits in 524 at-bats). His strikeouts were only 62. He had only 3 games with 3 strikeouts or more, only against SSG on April 13, against KIA on August 25, and against Lotte on September 22.
Kim Hyun-soo led his teammates by wearing the national armband at the last WBC tournament. While carrying a lot of pressure, he had a batting average of 0.111 (1 hit in 9 at-bats) and 2 RBIs in 3 group stage matches of the WBC tournament. When not only the individual but also the national team failed to produce results, he also had a difficult time mentally and physically. Will this process affect the current demonstration game?
After the last game of the tournament (against China), he blamed himself, saying, “I wonder if I wasn’t good enough as a captain. I didn’t lead the players well, so I didn’t get good results.” expressed the meaning of He continued, “I tried really hard not to hear the word ‘I came to play’. Of course, it’s right to get scolded if my grades don’t come out. I think.” He shook his head again.
Now, there is about a week left until the start of the regular season. LG can achieve its goal of winning this season only when Kim Hyun-soo, the immovable main hitter, does his part. Will Kim Hyun-soo be able to overcome the wounds of the WBC and recover his sense of hitting soon?