"He asks incredibly detailed and numerous questions." Even a KIA foreign investor was impressed by the 20th-year-old's academic zeal, which led to a three-hit performance that secured the top spot. [Gwangju Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers' young outfielder Park Jae-hyun (20) became the top contributor to the team's lead over the LG Twins with explosive batting form.

On the 18th, Park Jae-hyun started at second in the batting order and left field in the home game against LG at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He recorded three hits in four at-bats, leading KIA to a 4-2 victory. With this win, KIA secured a winning series with two wins and one loss, maintaining fourth place with 36 wins, one tie, and 32 losses. LG, now in a two-game losing streak, holds 42 wins and 26 losses, keeping a one-game gap behind second-place KT Wiz (40 wins, one tie, 26 losses).

Manager Lee Beom-ho's strategic move by KIA paid off. Facing foreign pitcher Anders Tolhurst, KIA placed Kim Ho-ryung (34), who has been the team's hottest hitter recently, and Park Jae-hyun, who has a strong record against LG, at the top of the lineup. Before this game, Park Jae-hyun had recorded two hits in four at-bats.

From the start, he shook up LG's infield with erratic plays. In the bottom of the first inning with one out, after a 10-pitch battle, Park Jae-hyun hit a straight pitch from Tolhurst for a double into the gap between center and right field. Kim Do-young then reached base on a walk, and Na Sung-beom, who hit two home runs the previous day (17th), stepped up to the plate.

However, Park Jae-hyun attempted to steal third base but was caught in Tolhurst's pickoff attempt. He touched the third base but was called out. In the bottom of the third inning, he grounded out to first base. In the bottom of the fourth, he again targeted Tolhurst's first pitch, hitting a line drive single to center field.

Against right-handed pitcher Woo Kang-hoon, who was pitching well, Park Jae-hyun used his speed to record his third hit. In the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, he hit a ground ball deep into the shortstop position. Oh Ji-hwan fielded it quickly and threw to first base, but Park Jae-hyun's speed was faster. It was a pity that he did not score due to a lack of follow-up hits.

After the game, Park Jae-hyun said, "It was a game against a tough pitcher. However, I tried to maintain my focus as much as possible at the plate. Before two strikes, I tried to swing boldly to get results. With a two-strike count, I focused on cutting off the pitch until it came in a waiting zone."

He is a lovely junior whom senior teammates are eager to teach regardless of nationality. Park Jae-hyun is a right-handed batter who bats left-handed, drafted by KIA in the third round, 25th overall, in the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Incheon High School. In his second year this season, he hit .330 (34 hits in 103 at-bats) in 25 games in May. He struggled in June. Before this game, Park Jae-hyun had hit .102 (5 hits in 49 at-bats) in 14 games in June, seemingly exposing the limits of a promising player.

However, the seniors who watched Park Jae-hyun had a different perspective. Among them, Harold Castro (33), who returned after about two months of rehabilitation following a hamstring injury, shared his observations of Park Jae-hyun's usual behavior. Earlier in the season, Park Jae-hyun became a topic of discussion for crediting Castro as the mentor who helped him refine his batting form as the secret to his powerful hitting.

Castro said, "(Park) Jae-hyun mentioned me so much and is hitting well, so I am grateful. I think he is doing well because he has so much natural talent. Although he has been struggling recently, I talked to him a lot today (18th) to help him overcome those issues."

What exactly did they talk about? According to Castro, Park Jae-hyun is a 20-year-old youth full of academic zeal. Castro said, "(Park) Jae-hyun is the type who asks a lot of questions. He comes to me and asks in great detail and with many questions about his batting form, when to hit the ball, and how to position his body."

Park Jae-hyun himself did not deny that he bothered Castro. Park Jae-hyun said, "Today, I had a conversation with Castro about batting. I told him I had many concerns, and he gave me a lot of advice. Castro shared his perspective on pitchers and talked about swings."

He continued, "The key point was that if your focus wavers, you cannot produce a good swing. He advised me to keep my eyes fixed and hit the ball toward center field with a proper swing. I paid the most attention to this part in today's batting. Although it was just one game, I felt that my swing mechanics had improved." He smiled.

If this game sparks a revival in Park Jae-hyun's batting form, it would be a huge boost for KIA. After this home series, KIA immediately moved to Suwon. They will play a nine-game road trip against KT Wiz, Kiwoom Heroes, and Doosan Bears through the next weekend.

None of the teams are easy opponents. Park Jae-hyun emphasized, "We are facing a crucial nine-game road trip in the race for the standings. I believe that if we continue to play with confidence as we have done so far, good results will follow. I want to secure many victories and return to Gwangju."

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*This content was translated by AI.