'7G hitless → batting average 0.088' with 2.2 billion big shots sluggish, head coach Lee Sung-yong said, "If you think positively..." The confidence in the fourth batter is strong [the scene of Incheon]

*This content was translated by AI.

The slump of the big guns, which were brought in 2.2 billion won with the expectation that it will put weight on the lineup, is unusual. Kim Jae-hwan (38, SSG Landers) has been sluggish for a long time.

SSG head coach Lee Soo-yong met with reporters ahead of the Hanwha Eagles match at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 7th and asked about Kim Jae-hwan, "I'm telling you again, the balance is not that bad. There are a lot of really difficult balls coming in," he said.

Kim Jae-hwan, recruited by SSG for up to 2.2 billion won in two years ahead of this season, is playing as the fourth hitter in all nine games, but he is suffering from a severe slump with a batting average of 0.088 (3 hits in 34 at-bats), one homer, five RBIs, five runs, seven walks, eight strikeouts, an on-base percentage of 0.238, a slugging percentage of 0.176 and an on-base percentage of 0.414.

The hitting sense is not good enough to be hitless in seven out of nine games. Nevertheless, SSG coach Lee Sung-yong (55) still shows faith.

Since 2016 when Kim Jae-hwan established himself as the main player at the Doosan Bears, the slowest time was in 2022, with a batting average of 0.229 (22 hits in 96 at-bats) with three home runs, 13 RBIs, 10 runs and 24 strikeouts in 24 games. It's the beginning of the season, suffering from more extreme ups and downs than ever.

After making his first hit with a home run on the 31st of last month, Kim Jae-hwan also said, "I don't think I've ever been this bad since the opening," adding, "As (the hit) didn't come out, I thought mentally, 'Oh, I'm in a hurry now.' So I thought, "I shouldn't rush in even if I can't get a hit," he confessed.

However, the slump continues even after the first hit. Since then, he has had no hits in three games and seemed to revive with his first multi-hit of the season against the Lotte Giants on the 4th, but he was silent again in two games.

Manager Lee Sung-yong cited the fact that opposing pitchers have been playing a particularly difficult game against Kim Jae-hwan as the reason. "(The opposing pitchers' balls) are caught at the end of the game, but I think I'm trying to do better because I'm on a new team," he said. "I think I'll get better in a little while."

It is true that Kim Jae-hwan's batting sense is not good. However, the pitchers' intensive checks and bad luck are also confirmed to some extent by figures. Kim Jae-hwan's in-play batting average (BABIP) this season is 0.077, which is lower than the batting average.

On the other hand, he is tied for ninth in the league with seven walks. The net on-base percentage minus the batting average is 0.150, ranking 13th and second in the team. As manager Lee said, pitchers have been playing very tricky, leading to many walks as a result. In the match against Hanwha on the 7th, he had no hits in 2 at-bats with a fly ball and strikeout by shortstop, but completed multiple bases with two walks.

However, the large number of walks is also proof that opposing pitchers are not throwing balls that can be easily hit by Kim Jae-hwan. Ryu Hyun-jin and Ryu Hyun-jin are representative in the match against Hanwha on the 7th. In the fourth inning, he drew a walk after a 10-pitch game, but there was no ball that was far out of the zone. Ryu Hyun-jin struck out in the sixth inning, but Ryu Hyun-jin's ball, which struck out double digits for the first time in about 14 years, settled against Kim Jae-hwan by picking only the edge of the zone.

The fact that the BABIP is lower than the batting average may be a result of bad luck, but it may also mean that there are many balls that are easy for fielders to handle. In fact, both appear to be applied to Kim Jae-hwan. They know the pitchers' tricky game better than anyone else, so they are getting many walks, but they cannot just watch as the fourth batter due to the continuous slump, and there are cases where they lead to low batting as a result of continuous swings despite bad balls.

Manager Lee said, "I have no choice but to make it difficult for Jae-hwan to see that (the late) Myung-jun will be better. If Jae-hwan picks it out well and throws a real pitch a little, I think there is a greater chance that a real pitch will come in to Myung-jun. "So, keeping Myung-jun in No. 5 and putting (Han) Yoo-seom behind him is to grow him." I think Myung-jun is benefiting a lot from that," he said.

There are difficult matches and bad luck influences from opponents, but it is clear that Kim Jae-hwan's sense of hitting must be revived for greater synergy. Still, the head coach of the joint leading team was still relaxed. "I hope we do better over time, but for now, the team is winning and the fourth batter is winning even though it's not right," he said, expressing expectations, "I think positively, if the fourth batter starts hitting more, the batting line will be scarier."

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*This content was translated by AI.