Lee Jae-won (24) of the LG Twins shared a difficult moment due to an injury.
Lee Jae-won started as a first baseman at number 8 in an exhibition game against Kiwoom Heroes of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 25th, and played an active role with 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 1 goal in 2 at-bats. LG won 8-1 thanks to Lee Jae-won’s performance, who hit the first home run in the demonstration game.
Lee Jae-won, who joined LG in 메이저사이트the 2nd round (17th place) of the 2018 rookie draft, showed his qualities as a giant by winning the home run king in the Futures League Northern League in 2020 (13 home runs) and 2021 (16 home runs) in a row. Last season, he proved his potential by recording a batting average of .224 (50 hits in 223 bats), 13 homers, 43 RBIs, and an OPS of .769 in 85 games in the first team.
Lee Jae-won, who had planned to enlist in Sangmu after the end of last season, eventually canceled his enlistment plan and decided to focus on this season after coach Yeom Kyung-yeop dissuaded him. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop expressed his intention to use Lee Jae-won’s position even as he changed his position from an outfielder to a first baseman.
Lee Jae-won, who was expected to play an active role this season, suffered a flank injury during the spring camp in Arizona, USA, and returned home early to focus on recovery in the rehabilitation group. He was injured before the start of the season, so there was great concern, but he succeeded in returning on the 24th as a pinch hitter before KT.
Lee Jae-won, who started for the first time in this game, said, “I am not in 100% physical condition. But he has no problems when defending. He doesn’t have any pain when he hits, but it’s just nerve-wracking,” he explained about his physical condition.
Lee Jae-won, who talked about the time of the injury, saying, “I felt a little strange while training in the United States, so I stopped training right away.” Later, he only practiced the basics, but when he had an MRI in Korea, he was diagnosed with a microtear and took a break. Fortunately, he did not lead to any major injuries, and it is fortunate that he passed.”
Coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop plans to place Lee Jae-won in the lower batting order to ease Lee’s burden. Lee Jae-won said, “He doesn’t feel burdened no matter which batting order he is in. I am grateful to the director for believing in me and I will do my best really hard.”
For Lee Jae-won, who was expected by coach Yeom Kyung-yeop and delayed enlisting in the military, the injury was bound to be a huge blow. He said, “He seems to have collapsed a lot,” and Lee Jae-won, who looked back at his heart at the time of his injury, said, “It was a bit difficult. His injury was very minor, but it was very difficult and he thought a lot. He said that the coach believed in him and would moderate it, but since I was sick and couldn’t play, it didn’t seem like he was taking a break.”
Lee Jae-won, who mentioned winning LG as his goal for this season, said, “I just want to win this year. I have no goals whatsoever. I just wish I could win. It would be better if I played a role, but it’s not something I can say I want to do. I will just do my best,” he promised to do his best for LG to win the Korean Series.