'LG's Big Hit' Finally, 27-Year-Old Prospect Shines! "The biggest change from last year is..." Is there no worry even if top FA Hong Chang-gi is missed?

*This content was translated by AI.

'LG Twins' Golden Retriever' Song Chan-ui (27) showcased his presence with four hits in his second start as leadoff hitter.

On the 19th, LG secured a 3-2 comeback victory against the Doosan Bears in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

With this win, LG escaped a two-game losing streak, improving to 43 wins and 26 losses, while maintaining first place in the league standings. Meanwhile, Doosan failed to continue its upward momentum from the previous day's (18th) victory over KT Wiz, finishing with 34 wins, 2 draws, and 34 losses, placing them alone in fifth place in the league standings.

LG deployed Song Chan-ui as the leadoff hitter in today's game. This was only the second time Song Chan-ui had started as the number one batter, with his first appearance occurring on April 23, 2025. On this occasion, he was in top form.

Song Chan-ui appeared as the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first inning. Against Doosan's starting pitcher Wes Benjamin, he hit a two-run double that landed just inside the left-field line on the seventh pitch of a 2-2 count. However, the following three batters made outs, and no runs were scored.

Song Chan-ui recorded another double in his second at-bat. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs and no runners on base, he crushed a fastball on the third pitch of a favorable 2-0 count, sending a two-run double to the gap between center and right field. Song Chan-ui then scored on Park Hae-min's sacrifice fly to left field.

Continuing with LG trailing 1-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, after Gu Bon-hyeok drew a walk with two outs, Song Chan-ui stepped up to the plate. There, he hit Benjamin's low first-pitch slider (136.8 km/h) on the inside corner, sending it over the left-field wall for a two-run home run. This was Song Chan-ui's seventh home run of the season. The exit velocity was 162.9 km/h, launch angle 23.2 degrees, and distance 119.6 meters.

That was not the end. Song Chan-ui, batting leadoff in the eighth inning, singled to center field against reliever Park Chi-guk. This marked the moment Song Chan-ui completed his four-hit game.

Before the game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop explained the reasoning behind deploying Song Chan-ui as leadoff: "(Song) Chan-ui's on-base percentage is the third highest on the team, after (Hong) Chang-gi and (Moon) Bo-kyung. This year, the team as a whole has struggled to get on base, so we need to get on base more." He emphasized this point strongly. Song Chan-ui not only got on base but also hit the go-ahead home run, fully meeting the manager's expectations.

After the victory, Manager Yeom praised Song Chan-ui: "Song Chan-ui led the entire lineup with four hits and two RBIs, including the go-ahead home run. Through this successful experience of hitting four hits, I believe he will grow to the next level. This growth will greatly benefit both the team and himself in the second half of the season."

After the game, Song Chan-ui told reporters in an interview about his matchup with Benjamin: "He has excellent pitching skills and a bold style of competing. I think that's why my aggressive approach led to such a good result."

Regarding his role as leadoff hitter, he added: "At first, I was a bit surprised when I saw the lineup. Also, since our team's number one batter is the truly great (Hong) Chang-gi, I wondered if I could do as well as him. In fact, Chang-gi is such an incredible player, so I just decided to do what I could in the batter's box, and I think that worked out well."

On the home run situation, he said: "I wasn't specifically aiming for it. I expected to compete more boldly, and that mindset helped."

Song Chan-ui graduated from Hwagok Elementary, Seonrin Middle School, and Seonrin Internet High School before being selected by LG in the second round, 67th overall, in the 2018 draft. He signed his official contract with the team in 2022. Until last season, he carried the label of a "perennial prospect," but finally blossomed this season. With this kind of performance continuing, there are even evaluations that even if Hong Chang-gi, who may become a free agent (FA) after this season, leaves the team, Song Chan-ui will be able to fill the gap well.

Last season, Song Chan-ui played in 66 games, posting a .211 batting average (31 hits in 147 at-bats), 3 home runs, 20 RBIs, 18 runs scored, a .291 on-base percentage, and a .347 slugging percentage. However, this season, in 47 games, he has achieved outstanding stats: a .311 batting average (42 hits in 135 at-bats), 7 home runs, 29 RBIs, 32 runs scored, a .419 on-base percentage, and a .578 slugging percentage.

Regarding what has changed from last season, Song Chan-ui emphasized: "Manager Yeom emphasized a specific point. In the past, when I was batting, my head would move forward first, and my body would open up too quickly. So, during the off-season, I thought a lot about reducing that, and as I approached the batter's box with that in mind, it seems to have worked out. Now, I try not to rush in the batter's box."

Song Chan-ui's nickname is "Nureong" (Golden Retriever). Regarding this nickname, he smiled and said: "I'm happy with any nickname fans give me. Previously, (Chae) Eun-seong called me 'Nureong' because I'm a bit dark-skinned. Also, my face somewhat resembles a dog's face. When watching broadcast videos, my face appears yellowish. That's how I became 'Nureong,' and I think it's even better since fans like it. (Even regarding yellow jerseys like the 'Hwangtoma' yellow jersey) it might be a bit much, but I like any nickname fans give me."

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*This content was translated by AI.