"Oh Jihwan is very important this year."" Yeom Kyung-yeop was right, the oldest ground home run → Team 4 consecutive wins... LG is also ranked 8th → 3rd

*This content was translated by AI.

"Oh Ji-hwan is very important this year."

This is what Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), head coach of the LG Twins, met with reporters at the Okinawa spring camp in Japan in February.

The reason was the aftermath of Kim Hyun-soo (38), the MVP of the Korean Series, moving to KT Wiz last year. Kim Hyun-soo constantly produced hits with 12 homers and 90 RBIs in 140 games last year, serving as a cog in the lineup. The clutch ability to burst in the right place allowed LG to score a lot of points even though it was not the team's No. 1 home run.

Now that Kim Hyun-soo has left, he expected Chun Sung-ho (29) and Lee Jae-won (27) to share the role, but he still needs time. Coach Yeom Kyung-yup believed that Oh Ji-hwan would fully replace the role while they were growing up.

Coach Yeom said, "If (Kim) Hyun-soo is absent this year and (Oh) Ji-hwan wanders to the point, there is a very high possibility that the batting line will be cut off. In the past, even if Ji-hwan couldn't do it, he explained, "I couldn't tell because there was Hyun-soo." "If Ji-hwan doesn't do it this year, it's bound to be obvious in the batting order. In particular, Ji-hwan has to be good to him. Ji-hwan must play a good role in the center without injury to lead to a smooth flow.

LG, who was considered the favorite again this year, got off to a embarrassing start. He started his first week with two wins and four losses, including three consecutive opening losses. As a result, the ranking once dropped to eighth place.

During that period, Oh Ji-hwan was only one hit in 17 at-bats. In the end, he was excluded from the starting lineup for two consecutive days, and it was the consideration of the head coach. Coach Yeom said at the time of the exclusion of the first selection, "It's not that Ji-hwan (Oh) is in a bad condition. Rather, (Oh) Ji-hwan is very sorry," he said, expressing regret, adding, "When I see him defending, he still has quickness." We just need time to supplement technically," he said.

The head coach's choice, who went into administration early, was right. Oh Ji-hwan had a chance to reflect on himself while he was out of the starting lineup. After that, he cut the ball one by one and found a sense of hitting little by little. He took a walk against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the 4th, and played his first multi-hit game against the Gocheok Kiwoom on the 5th with 3 hits and 3 RBIs in 5 at-bats, including a double.

When I went on an expedition to Changwon this week, it was simply flying. Oh Ji-hwan led his team's victory with two hits and one RBI in four at-bats by hitting a slider that fell low from the first and third bases with one out in the top of the sixth inning against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 7th.

On the 8th, the match against Changwon NC was more than a hit. Oh Ji-hwan, who started as the sixth batter and shortstop on the day, played the third base game with two hits in four at-bats (one home run), two RBIs, one walk, and one run. In the first at-bat in the second inning, he made an infield hit with a base that did not give up and showed a stable defense on the ground.

Oh Ji-hwan made a match for himself. He entered the batter's box with two outs and a runner on second in the top of the eighth inning when LG was losing 2-3. Ryu Jin-wook's real pitch was sent far to the end of the central fence. While NC center fielder Choi Jung-won, who attempted a jump catch, got up again and caught the ball that bounced off the fence, Oh Ji-hwan had already passed the second base.

The base coach turned his arm on the slower-than-expected throw, and Oh Ji-hwan dug home. It was the moment when the veteran's fighting spirit led to the winning score and victory. It was Oh Ji-hwan's second home run on the ground. He also became the hero of the oldest ground home run, surpassing former coach Kim Jae-bak (36 years and 18 days), as he recorded at 36 years and 27 days.

LG kept this score until the end and won 5-4 to win the game from behind, winning four consecutive games. The season ranking also jumped to third place, trailing SSG Landers and KT Wiz (7 wins and 3 losses), who are tied for first place, by one game.

The recent rise in LG is not irrelevant to Oh Ji-hwan's rebound, which constantly connects opportunities in the lower batting line. This is why head coach Yeom regarded Oh Ji-hwan as another key player this year.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.