'Amazing! Who on earth is this?' The hidden hero behind Kiwoom's escape from last place: 21-year-old shortstop with only 1 error in 17 games — is this real?

*This content was translated by AI.

The Kiwoom Heroes' upward momentum is terrifying. After struggling at the bottom of the standings early in the season, Kiwoom has finally escaped last place with a five-game winning streak, launching a fierce sprint toward a mid-table breakthrough. Behind this dramatic rebound that has already propelled them to eighth place, there was stability on the mound and concentration in the lineup, but there is another "true hidden hero" whom baseball experts unanimously praise. That person is shortstop Kwon Hyuk-bin (21), who has solidly secured Kiwoom's shortstop position.

On the 22nd, Kiwoom secured a decisive 7-0 victory in an away game against the LG Twins at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League," surging ahead with a formidable five-game winning streak.

This five-game winning streak comes exactly 689 days after July 2, 2024 (the match against LG at Gocheok). At that time, Kiwoom had reached a six-game winning streak. With this latest victory, they have fully maintained their recent steep upward trajectory, perfectly escaping the lower tier of the league and successfully laying a solid foundation for a push toward the upper ranks.

At the center of this team rebound stands Kwon Hyuk-bin. It is no surprise, as the second-year rookie has contributed to the winning streak by displaying remarkably precise and stable defense at the shortstop position, one of the most demanding and physically taxing roles.

Numbers perfectly prove Kwon Hyuk-bin's defensive value. In 18 games played this season, Kwon has started at shortstop in 17 of them, including 15 times in the starting lineup. Under the firm trust of Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin (53), he has established himself as the team's fixed shortstop. Over 116 innings, he committed only one error (on May 16 against NC in Changwon). His fielding percentage for this season is an impressive 98.4%, a metric that places him in the upper-middle tier of the KBO League, showing no weakness even when compared to veteran shortstops who have excelled this season.

In fact, early in this season, Kiwoom often lost games by giving up runs they shouldn't have due to infield defensive instability. As the defensive foundation wavered, the pitchers also became unsettled, leading directly to a formula for defeat and a fall to last place.

However, since early May, when Kwon Hyuk-bin was firmly installed as the starting shortstop, the atmosphere shifted by 180 degrees. Kwon's greatest strengths — his quick speed, wide defensive range, and composure beyond his years — brought stability to the entire infield. With An Woo-jin returning to the rotation and the starting pitchers stabilizing, the need for defensive stability was met as Kwon cleanly handled difficult hits, lightening the pitchers' burden. This directly led to a reduction in runs allowed and victories. It is considered the decisive driving force behind achieving the five-game winning streak after 689 days.

Among professional baseball field personnel, it is often said, "Having just one clear long-term strength is enough to last in the first division." And the top of those strengths is "defense." In fact, KBO League's legendary managers frequently quote the proverb, "There is no variation in rain." This is because a solid defensive capability allows a team to maintain game flow even if their batting pace drops, giving them the opportunity to consistently play in the first division and gradually adapt their batting.

Kwon Hyuk-bin is following this exact path. Using his top-tier defensive skills as a foundation, he is gradually improving his adaptability in the difficult first-division batting lineup. The confidence gained from his defense is clearly translating to his bat.

In the match against LG on the 22nd, with the team leading 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and a runner on second, Kwon Hyuk-bin hit a two-run single against Bae Jae-jun, completely tipping the momentum in Kiwoom's favor. It was the moment he became an undeniable contributor to the team's 7-0 victory and five-game winning streak by preventing runs with his defense and scoring runs with his bat.

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*This content was translated by AI.