"Kim Jae-hwan hasn't even started." SSG's four-homer explosion adds 'home run corps' power to the 'strongest bullpen.' [the scene of Incheon]

*This content was translated by AI.

SSG Landers will be transformed back into the 'home run corps' of the past. Kim Jae-hwan (38) and Young-guns, the 276-home run "transfer student," set fire to the team's firepower, which had been slowed down for a while.

SSG hit four home runs in the 2026 KBO exhibition game against the LG Twins at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 19th.

The result was a 7-12 loss, but the home runs scored against LG's key pitchers in a row were significant.

SSG has been dominating the league's best home run corps for the past decade. He showed off his overwhelming slugging power in 2017 (234 home runs) and 2018 (233 home runs) when he was the SK Wyverns (SSG predecessor), and even after changing his name to SSG, he instilled a sense of fear in the opposing team as the most home run team for three consecutive years until 2021 (185 home runs), 2022 (138 home runs), and 2023 (125 home runs).

It was a possible result with Jamie Romak, Han Yu-som, Choo Shin-soo, and Choi Joo-hwan (Kiwoom) firmly behind Choi Jung-ra, who hit the most home runs (518) in the KBO League.

However, he slowed down to fourth place (152 home runs) in 2024 and fifth place (127 home runs) last year. In particular, since he built the league's strongest bullpen last year, there is a deep regret that he would have dreamed of a higher place if the batters had supported him a little more. However, this season, the lineup is preparing to take off again.

This is because Kim Jae-hwan, a former "Jamsil Home Run King," was recruited for a total of 2.2 billion won for two years ahead of the season. On top of that, Ko Myung-joon (24), who hit 17 home runs last year, and Kim Sung-wook (33), who joined in a trade last year, are also predicting a rebound in the spring camp with praise from head coach Lee Sung-yong.

Above all, Choi Jeong's momentum, the core of the lineup, is extraordinary. Choi Jeong, who suffered a difficult time last year due to repeated hamstring injuries, is off to a good start this season.

On this day, he also hit LG starter Song Seung-ki, who was pitching perfectly until one out in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, when the team was being dragged 0-2, he hit Song Seung-ki's first pitch 129km/h changeup and hit a tie-breaking two-run shot over the left-center fence.

Choi Jeong, who has hit home runs in two consecutive exhibition games, has played a batting average of 0.556 (5 hits in 9 at-bats), two homers, six RBIs and two runs, an on-base percentage of 0.600, a slugging percentage of 1.222, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.822.

Ko Myung-jun was more brilliant. In the fourth inning, he hit pitcher Kim Young-woo's 150km/h fastball, which was changed in the absence of a runner with two outs, once again hitting the left-center stands. With no runners with two outs in the sixth inning, he hit left-hander Jang Hyun-sik's 148km/h fastball this time and hit a 130m long-range solo shot to the left-center.

Ko Myung-joon, who raised expectations by hitting 11 home runs in 2024 and 17 home runs last year and three decisive home runs in the postseason, has played in six exhibition games with a batting average of 0.300 (6 hits in 20 at-bats), three home runs, four RBIs and three runs, and an on-base percentage of 0.286, signaling another step-up with an OPS of 1.036.

With consecutive home runs on the day, he is tied for second place in this category with Austin Dean and Lee Jae-won (LG) after Heo In-seo (Hanwha, four home runs).

Catcher Cho Hyung-woo (24), who is the same age as Ko Myung-joon, was also meaningful. Cho Hyung-woo, who had the ability to hit with one shot but was a little disappointed in his batting as he was reborn as the main catcher last year, stepped up Ham Deok-ju's slider that fell 127 kilometers per hour in the eighth inning and hit a solo home run to the left side in the absence of a runner with one out. It was an even more welcome cannon because it was one shot that could shake off the silence of 10 at-bats in four games before that day.

In addition, the fact that all of the home runs came against key opposing pitchers is expected to boost confidence ahead of the season.

Kim Jae-hwan, who hit one home run, is still quiet with a batting average of 0.200 (3 hits in 15 at-bats), and another big gun Han Yoo-sum (37), who shines in "212 home runs," is also without a home run. Since hitters who can prove their careers have not even started in earnest, SSG is more expected after the full-fledged opening of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.