'Batting speed 178km/h' again and again and again and again home run, this time even Jamsil was cleared! The 'healthy' Lim Byung-wook excites the Heroes

*This content was translated by AI.

Lim Byung-wook (31) once again made Kiwoom Heroes fans excited.

On the 23rd, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, in the regular season match between LG Twins and the visiting team in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, Lim Byung-wook started as the third batter and right fielder, recording 4 at-bats, 2 hits (1 home run), 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 1 run scored.

Kiwoom lost to LG 2-5 on the day due to disappointing defensive errors and poor batting with runners in scoring position, halting their winning streak at '5'. Yet, amidst it all, Lim Byung-wook's performance shone brightly. Showing hot batting form recently, Lim Byung-wook led the early momentum of the game.

In the top of the first inning with two outs, Lim Byung-wook connected with Im Chan-kyu's 141.5 km/h first-pitch fastball, sending it far over the right-field fence. The ball traveled 106.2 meters at a speed of 178.2 km/h, marking his fourth home run of the season.

Kiwoom's final run of the day also came from Lim Byung-wook's bat. With Kiwoom leading 1-0 in the top of the third inning with one out and runners on first and third, Lim Byung-wook crushed Im Chan-kyu's low curveball inside, resulting in a one-run double down the left-field line.

In his third at-bat in the top of the fifth inning, Lim Byung-wook displayed remarkable composure. While Im Chan-kyu induced a swing-and-miss with an outside pitch, Lim Byung-wook held off a slider, changeup, and fastball. His swing on the second pitch, a dropping changeup, was ruled a no-swing after video review, allowing him to reach base for the third time. Although he struck out in his next two at-bats consecutively, he raised his season batting average from 0.295 to 0.305.

After finishing last for three consecutive seasons since reaching the 2022 Korean Series, Kiwoom is striving to escape last place, led by returning ace An Woo-jin (27) and a strong starting rotation. While the stable starting rotation and veteran players have stood out, the team is also gaining strength from the outstanding performances of mid-career players like Lim Byung-wook and Kim Woong-bin (30).

In particular, Lim Byung-wook's early-season surge is very welcome to Heroes fans. Lim Byung-wook graduated from Suwon Sin-gok Elementary, Baemyung Middle, and Deoksu High School, and was selected as the first overall pick in the 2014 KBO Rookie Draft. He is now in his 13th professional season. Although he was a highly anticipated prospect, even more so than Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves), he struggled with persistent injuries and failed to shine for a long time.

Because he briefly showed his potential, neither the club nor the fans could easily give up on Lim Byung-wook. In 2018, Lim Byung-wook played in 134 games, batting 0.293 (124 hits in 423 at-bats), with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs, 76 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was 0.327 and slugging percentage was 0.468. During that year's postseason, he hit back-to-back three-run home runs in consecutive at-bats against the Hanwha Eagles in the Korean Series, earning the series MVP and raising fans' expectations even higher.

As a result, many placed their hopes on a healthy Lim Byung-wook. Seol Jong-jin, Kiwoom's manager, was among them. Before the game, Manager Seol Jong-jin said, "Lim Byung-wook has always had great talent and high expectations. However, he suffered from many injuries, so there were often days when he couldn't play due to injury when he was supposed to be improving." He added with a smile, "Injuries have been Lim Byung-wook's biggest enemy, but this year, he has managed his body well and is playing full time."

Thanks to Lim Byung-wook, who is finally anchoring the lineup, and other center-field-level players, the Heroes have set their first goal at a .500 winning percentage. As of the end of the game on the 23rd, Kiwoom's record stands at 20 wins, 1 tie, and 27 losses, meaning there is still a long way to go.

Manager Seol Jong-jin stated firmly, "The driving force behind our ability to achieve this in May seems to be the stability of our starting rotation. With the starting pitchers performing well, the batting has also gone according to plan. We are (for now) continuing to aim for a .500 winning percentage."

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*This content was translated by AI.