Kim Sang-soo of the KT Wiz started as the third batter and second baseman in an away game against the Samsung Lions in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Sunday. He smiled as he had one hit, two walks and two RBIs in three times at bat. He took the lead in KT’s 4-1 victory and three consecutive wins.업소알바
KT edged ahead 1-0 until the middle of the game. With additional points desperately needed, Kim Sang-soo stepped up. In the top of the fifth inning, leadoff hitter Shim Woo-joon got on base due to Samsung’s third baseman Kim Young-woong’s catch error. Mel Rojas Jr.’s hit to the left and Kang Baek-ho’s grounder to the second base gave him one out, second and third bases.
The next batter was Kim Sang-soo. With the ball count 2 to 2, Samsung’s starting pitcher Baek Jung-hyun hit a change-up on the fifth pitch. He garnered a timely hit to center two RBIs. He instantly widened the score to 3-0. Continuing his momentum, KT maintained its mood until the second half, and successfully achieved victory.
Kim Sang-soo has made tremendous strides in the second half of the year. In the first half, he played in 67 games, posting a batting average of 0.254 (54 hits in 213 times at bat) and three homers and 26 RBIs. He had a batting average of 0.154 (four hits in 26 times at bat) in eight games in March and 0.267 (20 hits in 75 times at bat) in 24 games in April. In May, he only posted a batting average of 0.200 (four hits in 20 times at bat) in six games. He even left the office from May 3 to 25 due to fine damage to his femoral biceps.
He started warming up in June. He posted a batting average of 0.296 (24 hits in 81 at-bats) in 26 games. He has become more frightened since July. He showed off his batting average of 0.354 (17 hits in 48 at-bats) in 15 games. He also had one homer and 12 RBIs.
In particular, he displayed strength in chances. Kim Sang-soo recorded a batting average of 0.276 (eight hits in 29 at-bats) in July when there was no runner, but raised his batting average to 0.474 (nine hits in 19 at-bats) when there was no runner. He also flew in the scoring position with a batting average of 0.462 (six hits in 13 at-bats). He finished the game more deliciously than anyone else when the meal was served.
His performance in the season has also improved. He recovered his batting average to 0.276 (69 hits in 250 at-bats) from 0.227 early last month. He had four homers, 38 RBIs and 42 runs scored. He now has a batting average of 0.338 (23 hits in 68 times at bat) for this season.
“These days, (Kim) Sang-soo hits everything when it’s important,” KT manager Lee Kang-chul said ahead of the match against Samsung. With chances falling through, he often hits a timely hit in the second out, which can be a tie-breaking hit, a come-from-behind hit, and a first-run point. That’s really big,” KT manager Lee Kang-chul said. “He is the best player in the lineup right now. He has good contact ability and results come out well when it’s important.”
Kim Sang-soo recently moved to second base after starting as the main shortstop this year. Shim Woo-joon, the existing main shortstop, was discharged from the military athletic unit (Sangju Baseball Team) on the 15th. Samsung, which had been in the team until 2022, was not awkward as it mainly played as a second baseman since 2019. Kim Sang-soo also said, “I have been thinking about playing at second base to some extent since I signed an FA contract with KT. If I needed a team, I wanted to do that.”
“After Sang-soo stepped up to second base, his batting average seems to have increased further. Shortstop might be more tired,” Lee said. “In the long run, Sang-soo could reduce fatigue at second base. I think it would be good if he could do well with (Shim) Woo-jun.”