*This content was translated by AI.
The fresh competition between the two high school classmates and "best friends" rookies is interesting.
Hanwha Eagles outfielder Oh Jae-won (19), who graduated from Yushin High School side by side this year and made his professional debut, and KT Wiz infielder Lee Kang-min (19) are the main characters. The two are said to have been close to each other in high school, with Oh Jae-won only six days ahead of their birth date.
In the 2026 KBO League Rookie Draft, Oh Jae-won was selected as the third overall pick in the first round and Lee Kang-min as the 16th pick in the second round. Then, both players were selected as starters from the opening game of the regular season, receiving praise from their team's head coach from the spring camp.
He made a strong impression from the first game. On March 28, Oh Jae-won hit three hits side by side against the Kiwoom Heroes and Lee Kang-min against the LG Twins, marking the second and third highest hits in 30 years after Jang Sung-ho (then Haitai) in 1996.
It's still early in the season, but their performances are amazing. Now, even though he played five professional games, he is growing day by day, showing off his skills as much as his seniors.
In terms of batting average, Lee Kang-min ranks eighth overall with 0.450, and Oh Jae-won ranks 18th with 0.364. Lee Kang-min has nine hits and Oh Jae-won has eight, ranking sixth and seventh respectively.
The two had their first professional match at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon this week. In all three games, Oh Jae-won started as the first batter and center fielder, and Lee Kang-min started as the ninth batter and shortstop.
The competition in good faith was worth watching. After hitting two hits side by side from the first game on the 31st, Oh Jae-won hit two hits in six at-bats on the 1st, while Lee Kang-min had no hits in two at-bats. Then, in the game on the 2nd, the last day, Oh Jae-won took a break with no hits in 2 at-bats, but Lee Kang-min swung 4 hits in 6 at-bats.
He also stands out for his calm play, which is not like a rookie. In five games of the season, Oh Jae-won struck out only one, and Lee Kang-min made only one error.
Lee Kang-min said through the club after the game on the 2nd, "The coach and coach continue to encourage me even if I can't hit it and create comfortable situations. I think those parts help relieve the tension and give me confidence, he said. "I'm playing with the feeling that I'm doing it day by day without worrying about the results." "In defense, the seniors gave advice in each situation, which helped me a lot in adapting to the real game," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
