"It's time for Moon Bo-kyung to come alive": LG's key player for the second half, as named by manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, was the national team's number four hitter. [At Jamsil Stadium]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) expressed expectations for a counterattack by the team's batters in the second half, including Moon Bo-kyung (26).

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop stated on the 16th ahead of the second-half regular-season home game against KT Wiz at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium that he has rested and reorganized well, saying, "I will forget the first half and treat this as the opening game."

LG finished the first half with a record of 52 wins and 33 losses despite numerous injuries and poor performances by starting position players. The only blemish was finishing second in the standings without any games behind Samsung Lions after going 1 win and 2 losses in their final series against them.

In response, Manager Yom said, "I am not at ease. I believe there is not a single manager who does not want to finish in first place."

LG currently trails only Samsung in winning percentage with no games behind, while facing a 3.5-game chase from third-place KT Wiz (47 wins, 1 tie, 35 losses), forming a top-three race. This is a starkly different scenario compared to last year, when LG and Hanwha Eagles formed a two-team battle. Last year, LG surged with a .750 winning percentage in August (18 wins, 1 tie, 6 losses) to secure first place in the regular season standings.

Manager Yum stated, "We are expecting it this year as well. First of all, neither our position players nor pitchers are overworked. In the second half, I believe a team will surge not because another team's strength has increased and is racing ahead, but because the other teams' strengths have declined, allowing them to play their own brand of baseball. This is also reflected in the data," he explained.

To achieve this, he believed that a rebound from the batters was essential. Unlike last year, the first half of this season saw severe slumps from the team's core players. Manager Yeom stated, "It is not just Rios who needs to step up; we need our batting to find its power. The key point of whether we can run lies in what roles the existing starting position players play."

He added, "It was not that I wanted to manage my physical condition; rather, the pace was poor, so I decided to do both. It is important how much effort made to overcome the difficult first half and preparations made during the break will positively impact the second half."

Key player was national team's fourth hitter Moon Bo-kyung. Moon Bo-kyung struggled in the first half with a .254 batting average (201 at-bats, 51 hits), seven home runs, 39 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.758 over 59 games.

Manager Yom said, "In terms of batting, Moon Bo-kyung must be the most revitalized. He was a player who shouldered responsibility for our core lineup. I believe the first half hit rock bottom, and at least four out of the seven players who struggled, including Moon Bo-kyung, will show improvement in the second half compared to the first. If players such as Song Chan-ui, Moon Bo-kyung, Cheon Seong-ho, and Lee Jae-won provide strong support from behind in the second half based on their first-half experiences, there should be positive factors for our batting."

On this day, LG lined up Hong Chang-gi (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Lee Jae-won (designated hitter), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Anders Tolhurst.

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*This content was translated by AI.