It was a waste of an out.”
After leaving the LG Twins for the Kiwoom Heroes, outfielder Lee Ju-hyung has shed his prospect tee and is confidently establishing himself as the team’s leadoff hitter. His manager’s faith is growing stronger.
Lee Ju-hyung started the game against the Lotte Giants in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 18 and hit a game-winning three-run home run off Han Hyun-hee with runners on first and second in the eighth inning to give the team a 5-4 victory.스포츠토토
Photo by Kim Young-koo
Photo by Kim Young-gu
Trailing 2-4, Lee could have laid down a sacrifice bunt for safety, but the Kiwoom bench didn’t give him the bunt sign. Lee swung confidently and connected on a 147-kilometer fastball from Han Hyun-hee for a three-run homer over the right field fence.
Speaking to Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki before the game against Gocheok Lotte on the 19th, he said, “There was no doubt in my mind about whether I should bunt. It was a waste of one out. If it was a different situation, a different lineup, I would have been worried,” he said.
“He’s in the bottom of the batting order in the sense that he needs to be relaxed, but he’s batting well and his batting average is good. It was a waste to throw away one out,” he added.
Hong Won-ki also saw something else. He saw how Lee Ju-hyung handled himself after being pulled after striking out five against Lotte in Gochukseo on the 8th. Charlie Barnes was the starter on both the 8th and the day before.
Photo by Kim Young-gu
Hong said, “When Barnes started the game on the 8th, Lee struck out in five straight at-bats. So I was very curious to see what he would do this time, and he proved how he prepared. I don’t want to give him too much credit, but I saw that his approach to Barnes was different than last time.”
Lee Joo-hyung also had a strong game on the 19th. He batted seventh and played center field, going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a run scored. He had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and stole second base in the eighth after reaching on an error. He then came home on Kim Jun-wan’s double to give his team the winning run. He was also steady on defense. Kiwoom won the game 5-2.
Lee is batting .322 with 28 hits, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 37 games this season. In August alone, he is batting .344 with 22 hits, three home runs, 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Photo by Kim Young-gu