Sports Chosun
The final home run 20 days after the first special hit, coach Lee Seung-yeop’s consideration to wake up Kim Jae-hwan, who was in deep slump, now has 94 games left
Article entry 2023.06.07. 08:41 am Last modified 2023.06.07. 08:41 am original article
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Hanwha exhibition in Jamsil on the 6th. Kim Jae-hwan, who hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning, is high-fiving manager Lee Seung-yeop in front of the dugout. 메이저놀이터
It is not the Doosan Bears’ ‘4th hitter Kim Jae-hwan’, but ‘6th hitter Kim Jae-hwan’. On May 23, against the Samsung Lions in Jamsil, he took on number 6 for the first time this year, and since the KIA Tigers match in Jamsil on August 25, 2020, it has been 357 games and 1001 days. Kim Jae-hwan played as the 6th hitter against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 6th.
This season, where he has not been able to show an activity worthy of his name, his sense of hitting has recently gone down to the bottom. No hits in 6 at-bats in 3 consecutive weekend matches against KT Wiz. On June 2nd and 3rd, he played as a substitute in the second half and had no hits in 2 at-bats, and on the 3rd, he started with 4 times and had no hits in 4 at-bats. A leading hitter who signed a free agent (FA) contract for a total of 11.5 billion won in 2022 for 4 years lost his presence.
The Doosan coaching staff and front desk were at a loss for words.
As the sluggishness deepened, he was finally pushed out of the center batting line. Manager Lee Seung-yeop’s repeated worries led to a change in the batting order. He had to find an exit one way or another.
Bad news came upon bad news. Foreign pitcher Dylan Pile has been out of action for over three weeks, and Choi Won-joon and Kwak Bin’s first-team registrations have been canceled. However, even the attack caused problems.
I envisioned a batting line centered on Yang Eui-ji and Kim Jae-hwan, but it was completely distorted. Kim Jae-hwan’s sluggishness shook the foundation of the attack.
The command tower was resolute.
Kim Jae-hwan played in 47 of the team’s 49 matches until last week. He started 39 games and came on as a substitute in 8 games. On April 20th against Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon and against Jamsil KIA Tigers on May 12th, he took a break from the bench for two games.
Kim Jae-hwan is a batter that Doosan needs and must survive.
Kim Jae-hwan, who hit a two-run home run in the final against Hanwha on the 6th, expressed his gratitude, saying, “I felt that the coach was considerate when I was sluggish. So he had a strong desire to get better as soon as possible.”
The manager who lowered the immovable number 4 hitter to number 6, the leading hitter who wanted to play a role in any way, would know each other’s feelings well without saying anything.
Kim Jae-hwan came to the stadium an hour earlier than usual ahead of the match against Hanwha on the 6th. From 2:30 p.m. he had special hits. He is said to have asked Koji Goto hitting coach for a favor. According to Doosan club officials, it was the first special hit this year. The main hitter in his mid-30s even made a special hit. This is quite unusual.
Perhaps it was a special hit, he hit a home run in 20 days. More important than a home run is the desire to repay trust and the will to contribute to the team.
Director Lee Seung-yeop’s faith awakened Kim Jae-hwan.
Now he has 50 fights.
He has 94 games left.