It was a crazy presence.
The ‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom) has been ruled out of the Hangzhou Asian Games due to a left ankle injury. With the team in need of someone to fill the void left by Lee’s injury, Kim Hyun-jun (Samsung outfielder) made a strong impression in front of team manager Ryu Jung-il during a five-day field trip to Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
Starting in center field, Kim made his presence felt from the very first at-bat in the first inning. On a 2B-1S count with LG starter Choi Won-tae, he pulled a four-pitch slider for a triple down the right field line. Kim Sung-yoon followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to score a run.
With the bases loaded in the third, Choi Won-tae singled up the middle. Kim Sung-yoon followed with a single to right and scored on a double to left field by Koo Ja-rook. He grounded out to second in the fourth and flied out to right in the sixth, but it wasn’t enough to show his value.
Prior to today’s game, Kim had been hitting like a man possessed in the second half of the season, batting 3-for-5 (21-for-59) with 11 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Not only in the offense, but also in the defense. He made two super catches against the Pohang KIA on April 2.
Park Yong-taek, the KBSN sports commentator for the game, praised Kim’s stable defense, saying, “With Lee Jung-hoo out due to injury, we need a new outfielder for the national team, and Kim has been doing a great job. Today, his defense is very noticeable.”
Samsung manager Park Jin-man, who was hailed as the ‘national shortstop’ during his playing days, said, “As a baseball player, it’s unfortunate that Lee Jung-hoo is injured. But in such a situation, another player might get a chance. Luckily, Kim Hyun-jun is in good form in our team. He doesn’t directly express that he wants to play for the national team, but I think he’s greedy.”먹튀검증
With Lee Jung-hoo as his role model, Kim Hyun-joon has been pursuing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. With the way things are going, it’s not impossible to see him in a national team uniform.