9th batter's multi-hit explosion! The kid who ate tanghulu washed away Children's Day nightmares: "I, the youngest, wanted to do it"

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz's youngest player, Lee Kang-min (19), played a precious role in erasing the Children's Day nightmares of the "Kerini" (KT Wiz + children).

On the 5th, KT defeated the Lotte Giants 5-4 in a regular-season home game at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

This matchup between the two teams, which historically have not had high win rates on Children's Day, was particularly tense. Before this game, Lotte had 15 wins and 28 losses (winning percentage 0.366), while KT had 1 win and 8 losses (winning percentage 0.111), ranking 9th and 10th respectively in Children's Day win rates. As a result, the game was thrilling with tension maintained until the final moments. While KT's starting pitcher So Hyoung-jun held the line with 6 innings and 2 earned runs, the team struggled to score.

In the meantime, the player who consistently set the table was rookie Lee Kang-min, who started at the 9th spot in the batting order and as shortstop. Lee came to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 3rd and 5th innings, hitting singles to open up opportunities. The only blemish was that he failed to reach home plate due to subsequent batters failing to drive him in.

Lee finished with 3 at-bats, 2 hits, and 1 walk, leading the team with the most on-base opportunities and sharing the distinction of being one of only two players with a multi-hit game alongside Kim Sang-soo (36). Thanks to his ability to connect opportunities from the lower part of the lineup to the upper part, a big inning occurred in the later stages of the game.

After the game, Lee Kang-min said, "I knew our team had the lowest win rate on Children's Day. I wanted to do something, being the youngest, but I couldn't. Still, I'm glad I didn't perform terribly."

On this day, KT commemorated Children's Day by displaying childhood photos of its players on the scoreboard. Lee Kang-min shared a photo of himself eating tanghulu during a trip to Japan in the 4th grade of elementary school. The reaction from the crowd was particularly warm for Lee, the youngest player overall, whose childhood photo was displayed.

Responding to the fans' reaction, Lee Kang-min shyly said, "Many fans came for Children's Day, and it was really fun. Thinking that I am now working and playing at the places I used to visit as a child, I felt proud and grateful."

He continued with a bright smile, "Going to a baseball game on Children's Day creates many memories. I was happy that by winning, we could create good memories for our young fans."

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*This content was translated by AI.