A day after the Gwangju LG-KIA match on the 3rd, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop made an enthusiastic comment in front of reporters. The arrow headed to the referee who judged Lee Young-bin (22)’s pitch as a double in the top of the ninth inning. On the same day, Lee hit a fastball from KIA closer Jeong Hae-young at the top of the ninth inning when his team was being dragged 4-7, making a huge hit toward the central fence. Lee’s ball was caught in the fence of the outfield, and the referee judged it as a double as he failed to cross the fence. The LG bench also did not request a video review.먹튀검증
According to the video clip, however, Lee’s ball bounced off the structure after crossing the fence and was caught between the two barbed wire fences. If LG had requested a video review, chances were high that the result would have been changed. Not only the referee but also fans criticized Yeom for not requesting a video review right after the game. In fact, no one would be more regrettable than the player who hit a home run in front of him. However, Lee said, “I thought it would be better to hit the ball even better at an important moment.”
Five days later, the “important moment” that Lee dreamed of came, and he made a brilliant shot. Playing as the ninth batter and right fielder at the match against Hanwha in Jamsil on Tuesday, Lee hit left-hander Kim Ki-joong’s sixth slider at the bottom of the third inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases, and hit a three-run shot to cross the right fence. Lee, who joined the team in the second half of this year after being discharged from the military service at Sangmu, experienced a three-run shot for the first time in 735 days since the match against Lotte on Sept. 4, 2022. It was also his first home run in Jamsil, his home stadium.
Lee’s bat flashed again at the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and runners on the second base, leading 9-2. Han Seung-joo’s third pitch hit a fastball towards the right side of the pole, and this time it was recognized as a home run after a video review. LG won the game 14-3 with Lee Young-bin, who had four hits and five RBIs including consecutive homeruns. “Lee Young-bin’s three-run homerun in the third inning was the decisive factor,” Yeom said.
After the game, Lee Young-bin met with reporters and said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would be like to hit a home run in Jamsil since a long time ago, and I’m happy that it came true,” adding, “Since fans are cheering for me, I strongly think I should finish the rest of the game well.” Lee Young-bin, who was nominated in the second round of the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft (ranked 7th), has the advantage of being able to defend both inside and outside with good batting ability. He is a military veteran who is highly anticipated by the club and fans.
Lee Young-bin has become the new vitality of LG’s batting lineup with a batting average of 0.429 and an OPS of 1.108 in 18 games in the second half of the year. He sweated in an invisible place. “I am actively doing things that the coach and coach gave me,” explained Lee, who is training with batting coach Mo Chang-min for two hours each before and one hour after the game. “Coach Mo Chang-min and Lee Young-bin have made good efforts,” Yeom also pointed out. “I am doing additional training every day with Kim Il-kyung, the defense coach, after moving from right field to shortstop in the second half of the game. I am grateful that the results seem to be coming out little by little.”
Lee Young-bin, who was a soldier until recently, watched his team win the title on TV. “The players just cried and looked really happy,” Lee said with a twinkle in his eyes. “I just want to be there with them as soon as possible.”