Lee Jae-won, who gave victory to the LG Twins by showing a splendid running base play as well as a strong hit, expressed his feelings. Lee Jae-won started as the 8th hitter and left fielder in the home game against Kiwoom Heroes in the 2023 professional baseball KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th. From the beginning of the game, Lee Jae-won’s presence stood out. At the beginning of the second inning, with no runners safe, he received a 6-ball 116km curve from opponent starting pitcher Kim Dong-gyu and hit a heavy hit. After settling on second base with a stolen base, he took advantage of a wild throw to reach third base, and dug into the home through a double steal with first base runner Hong Chang-ki.
Lee Jae-won, who gained momentum, swung his bat fiercely in the bottom of the third inning. He attacked the 119 km curve of Yang Hyun’s 3 pitches from the 1st and 3rd bases safely and hit a timely hit with 1 RBI. Afterwards, he scored the second goal of the day by stepping home during Kim Hyun-soo’s center fielder’s sacrifice fly.
Lee Jae-won’s upward trend continued. After four pitches at the end of the 4th inning and a strikeout at the end of the 6th, he pulled the first pitch of Kiwoom left-hander bullpen resource Yoon Seok-won from 2nd out and 3rd base at the end of the 7th inning, scored 1 RBI, and finished the game with 3 hits. The final result was 4 at-bats, 3 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Lee Jae-won, whom we met after the game, said, “The team can win, but it was good that we took one more step.” He told me to run home as soon as the catcher throws (to second base) and the pitcher doesn’t catch (in the middle). (Pitcher) Seeing (Kim) Dong-gyu duck (not holding the ball), he ran home.”
Born in 1999, Lee Jae-won, who boasts a confident body of 192cm and 100kg, is attracting a lot of attention as a promising right-hander. In the 2018 rookie draft, he was nominated by LG with the overall number 17 in the 2nd round, and has a natural long hitting power to become the home run king in the Futures (second group) league in the 2020 and 2021 seasons in a row.
Lee Jae-won, who enjoyed the joy of recording his first double-digit home run in his debut, drawing 13 arches in 85 first-team games last year. Even at the beginning of this season, he showed good performance, but suffered from injuries and sluggishness in the middle. Fortunately, he posted 2 hits in 3 at-bats against Kiwoom the day before (12th), and this day also showed off a good sense of hitting, providing an opportunity for a rebound.
Nevertheless, Lee Jae-won said, “It took a lot of time to rehabilitate from the injury and restore his sense of hitting. The moment he got hurt, he thought it wasn’t easy. 스포츠토토 He thinks a lot and seems to have shaken a bit,” he said. “Rather than hitting well, I think it’s right to keep going. He tries to keep a good hitting feel. If it goes up, it goes up, if it goes down, it goes down as it goes,” he said.
Coach Mo Chang-min helped Lee Jae-won, who was injured and had trouble managing his mind. He said, “I told people around me to catch my heart, but it didn’t work out. However, coach Mo Chang-min told me about mental-related videos. I think that helped,” he expressed his gratitude.
Leader LG, which defeated Kiwoom 17-8 that day, ran for 5 consecutive victories, recording 61 wins, 2 draws and 35 losses, establishing a solo system.
There is a deep depth of the players in LG’s propaganda like this. Even if you turn your eyes to the outfield, Moon Seong-joo, Hong Chang-ki, and Park Hae-min are holding on. It is difficult for Lee Jae-won to gain the upper hand in the competition for the starting position.
When asked if it was difficult to maintain his sense of hitting because he was not constantly given opportunities to play, he said, “It is true that it is difficult. However, for a team to win, it is right that good players come out. I have to prepare a lot. I think if I do well while preparing like now, another opportunity will come and I will be able to seize it.”