Why 2026 SSG, the sprint of the '39-year-old 518 home run' batter, is expected rather than '3G 27 points + victory' [the scene of Incheon]

*This content was translated by AI.

"KT has good power."

SSG Landers coach Lee Sung-yong (55) changed the subject when asked about his team's power to tie for first place with three consecutive wins. It was a cautious reaction because it was still early in the season.

SSG tied KT Wiz for first place with two consecutive wins against the KIA Tigers from the opening series and three consecutive wins against the Kiwoom Heroes.

Coach Lee Soo-yong met with reporters ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against Kiwoom at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 1st and said, "I'm watching all the other games," adding, "When I looked at the schedule, I made them stick once a month."

Until you face each team once, you can't recklessly evaluate your power. It is possible to predict a proper season only after playing at least 30 games. In this sense, rather than putting meaning on three consecutive wins at the beginning of the season, he expressed a cautious position by closely looking at the power of other clubs.

Director Lee said, "I'm going to watch a lot of highlights for a month. Looking at it like that, I'm going to analyze and check my power, he said. "I haven't seen foreign pitchers in real life. I'm still watching the video and preparing for it," he said.

It was more satisfactory in terms of content than simply the result of three consecutive wins and tied for first place. Compared to last year's strong mound, the lineup was considered a weakness, but he worked hard to secure the batting average by recruiting Kim Jae-hwan in the off-season for up to 2.2 billion won for two years. As a result, he easily accumulated wins by exploding 27 points in three games. In addition, it was a victory created by overlapping the base running and defense of veteran players.

Coach Lee said, "I really liked the process of yesterday's game. The parts such as (Choi) Jung-yi's sprint, (Han) Yoo-sum, and Herredia's defense are the parts that I repeatedly emphasize to the players," he said. "It's the value of the basics and details, but I think it's getting better because Jung-yi showed that in person. I thought I could look forward to this season more in the future," he said.

"You may think it's nothing, but these are the parts that I think are the most important," he said, adding, "Given the attitude toward baseball these days, I've been doing it together for three years, but this year is positive."

Choi Jung, who suffered from a hamstring injury last year, played harder than anyone else. The 39-year-old player, who is the main character of the KBO's career with 518 home runs, deserved to be an example of others. When asked if he was anxious about Choi Jeong's sprinting, head coach Lee Sung-yong said, "Not at all. If a professional baseball player goes all out and (hamstring) comes up, it can't be helped. That's why I can't say I won't play hard," he said. "Professional baseball players have to do their best from the moment they enter the ground. What I have repeatedly emphasized is professional consciousness. Don't professional athletes get paid to play. Then, we have to do our best, he stressed.

In the midst of the peak atmosphere, the lineup is carried as it is. SSG formed the lineup with Park Sung-han (striker), Guillermo Herredia (left fielder), Choi Jung (third baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Ko Myung-joon (first baseman), Han Yu-sum (right fielder), Kim Jihoon Choi (middle fielder), Cho Hyung-woo (catcher), and Jung Joon-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Shota Takeda.

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*This content was translated by AI.