How did Shin Bon-ki (35), a veteran infielder of the KT Wiz in the professional baseball league, jump from being a backup to a .300 shortstop who leads the Wizards’ attack.먹튀검증
Shin Bon-ki started as the ninth shortstop in Game 7 of the season against Kiwoom Heroes in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 25th and led the team to a 5-2 victory by going 4 for 4 with two RBIs, one run and a hard hit.
In the bottom of the third inning with a 1-0 lead, he hit a heavy hit against Kiwoom starter Kim In-beom to open the first half of the hit show. He achieved multi-hit by scoring a hit to the right in the fifth inning with no runners on the first out, and was responsible for the winning run that broke the balance of 1-1 when Chun Sung-ho’s infield hit came out after reaching third base through second base when Mel Rojas Jr.’s hit to the right.
Shin faced his third at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on the first and third bases when he led 2-1. Then, due to two double steals and catcher Kim Gun-hee’s error in throwing to the second base, third baseman Jang Sung-woo stepped home, and first baseman Cho Yong-ho passed the second base and arrived at the third base. Meanwhile, Shin made a timely hit against Kim In-beom, widening the gap.
Shin’s bat did not stop. It was a chance to score runs with two outs and a runner on the second base in the bottom of the eighth inning when his team was leading 4-2. Shin met Oh Seok-joo and made a timely hit with an RBI, sealing his win. It was the first time in 1,865 days that Shin had four hits in a game since the match against the Kia Tigers in Sajik when he was with the Lotte Giants on April 17, 2019.
Shin Bon-ki said after the game, “I had four hits in Lotte, but this is the first time in KT,” adding, “I did my best every moment, and I got good results. I feel good because I played well in front of a large crowd. Today was my father’s birthday again, and I felt sorry that I couldn’t go. I hope he was a little happy to see today’s game.”
Shin has a batting average of 357 with 15 RBIs in 34 games, an OPS of 1.026 and a scoring average of 389. “There is nothing special. I often discuss with my coaches what a pitcher should throw and what kind of ball he should aim for,” Shin said. “After all, I play a lot of games, so I have a lot of chances to win. Before that, I didn’t have many opportunities, and now I have many opportunities.”
Shin, who was nicknamed the “good deed player” when he was a Lotte One Club man, left Busan and entered Suwon through a trade in December 2020. An experienced multi-infielder was a huge contributor to KT at the time. He filled the gap between his key players’ injuries and won his first career championship ring in three Korean Series games in 2021.
After finishing the 2022 season, Shin has finally become a free agent for the first time in his life. Despite the ups and downs of hitting around 100 percent in 74 games, he signed a contract with his original team KT in January 2023 for a total of 300 million won (10,100 U.S. dollars) and extended his contract through 40 games of batting average of .24 percent in the 2023 season. Shin got an opportunity when his main player Kim Sang-soo was injured due to fine damage to his biceps earlier this month, and he has been swinging his bat every day.
When I asked Shin about his driving force, he said, “As I started this season in the Futures League, I emptied a lot. Coach and coach at the Futures League helped me make myself feel comfortable. My driving force is to be comfortable mentally,” he said. “It shows that my family is trying to make me feel comfortable, too. The same applies to my father-in-law and mother-in-law. I feel very reassured. I think I’m doing well so far because of the combination of those factors.”
“I haven’t been able to play in many games in recent years, so I’m happy and happy just to play every moment. As a baseball player, it’s better to go to the ballpark more than to sit down. This is because we don’t know how long this will continue,” he added.
Shin also expressed his desire to contribute to the team even after Kim Sang-soo returns to the team. With Kim Sang-soo set to return to the first team on Wednesday, Shin said, “I’ve been away a lot since (Kim) Sang-soo was injured, but I’ve worked hard not to feel empty of the water,” adding, “Now that the water supply is back to a healthy body, I have to play my role, and I also have a role. I will focus on every moment and do my best.”
Finally, Shin Bon-ki expressed his sincere feelings toward his wife, who is raising a 7-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter in Busan. “I’ve been living abroad for about four years, and I’m sorry and grateful that my wife couldn’t be with me during a difficult time while raising my child. Thank you for growing up beautifully, my children,” he said. “I’ll have a good time after the season, so I want to say thank you for the hard work during the season.”