Kiwoom Heroes Lee Jung-hoo (25) is hardly getting out of the slump.
In the match against SSG Landers of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 22nd, Lee Jung-hoo started as center fielder 3 times and recorded no hits in 4 at-bats.
Lee Jung-hoo, who struck first in the first inning with two outs, was caught with a ground ball by the first baseman after a close battle with SSG starting pitcher Kirk McCarty to a full count. In the 4th inning, with a 1 out and 2 base chance, McCarty’s 3rd pitch cutter was hit, but he retired with a floating ball to left field. 스포츠토토
Lee Jung-hoo, who took another chance at first base safely in the 6th inning, struck out while watching McCarty’s cutter on a 1-ball, 2-strike. In the 8th inning, with 1 out and 1 base, he hit the first fastball of reliever Choi Min-joon well, but he was caught right in front of the center fielder. Kiwoom eventually suffered a 2-3 come-from-behind defeat and fell into a two-game losing streak.
Lee Jung-hoo boosted his momentum by hitting his third home run of the season in the game on the 21st. However, even with a cool home run shot, the batting pace seldom rises. Lee Jeong-hoo’s batting average for the season fell to 10.94 (12 hits in 62 at-bats), which was silenced with no hits that day, breaking the .200 batting average once again. It is only 10 days since the match against Doosan on the 13th that Lee Jung-hoo recorded a batting average of less than 20% this season.
Last season, Lee Jung-hoo, who won 5 batting crowns (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, and most hits) and won the league MVP, ranked among the best hitters in Korea, announced his advancement to the major leagues after this season. However, the start of the season is not so good that it is difficult to believe that it was Lee Jung-hoo’s performance. His home runs are coming out steadily and he is recording 3 home runs, but his batting average is below 200.
Coach Hong Won-ki said in an interview before the game, “Lee Jung-hoo hit a home run yesterday, but it’s not a problem to hit one or two hits or one or two home runs. He doesn’t have the hitting mechanism he wants. He is working with his analytics team to find answers and believes they will do well. Not only Lee Jung-hoo, but the batting line overall is not good. Lee Jung-hoo said, “It is not something that can be solved alone.”
Lee Jung-hoo hit the ball several times, but all of them were caught by the fielder. Attention is focusing on how Lee Jung-hoo, who has been unable to find a way out without following his luck, will be able to overcome his difficulties. /fpdlsl72556@osen.co.kr