"It will be hard to make it to the first division this year," a promising LG player who had given up on himself has staged a stunning comeback, even achieving a batting average of 0.330. How did he do it?

*This content was translated by AI.

A promising player who had given up on even making it to the first division this year is now writing a stunning comeback story. That person is LG Twins right-handed power hitter Moon Jung-bin (23).

On the 28th, Moon Jung-bin started at third spot in the batting order and as first baseman in LG's home game against Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk, leading LG to a 5-3 victory.

Every time Moon Jung-bin reached base, LG scored. In the bottom of the fourth inning with LG trailing 0-1, Moon Jung-bin kept cutting off Jeon Jun-pyo's fast pitch until he drew a walk after an eight-pitch full count battle. Later, he crossed home plate following Oh Ji-hwan's infield grounder and Moon Sung-ju's hit to left-center field, which was followed by Park Dong-won's two-run single down the left-field line.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, he gave LG the lead with a massive home run that everyone could sense. Moon Jung-bin connected squarely on Jeon Jun-pyo's first pitch, which was right in the middle, sending it far over the right-field fence. The exit velocity was 170.2 km/h, and the distance was 127.9 meters.

He also shone in clutch situations. In the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied at 3-3, one out, and runners on first and second, Moon Jung-bin hit Park Ji-sung's changeup into left-center field. Then, Moon Sung-ju followed with a two-run double down the left-field line, sealing the win for LG.

After the game, when asked about his home run situation, Moon Jung-bin said, "Our team was scoring runs but trailing slightly, so I thought we needed to score one more run. Fortunately, my feel was good before the game, so I decided to try hitting it hard, and it worked out well."

With this performance, Moon Jung-bin has recorded a batting average of 0.330 (115 at-bats, 38 hits), 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 18 runs scored, an on-base percentage of 0.414, a slugging percentage of 0.704, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.118 in 43 regular-season games, making him a threatening hitter across the entire league.

This kind of performance would have been hard to imagine before the season started. After graduating from Gadong Elementary School, Jamsin Middle School, and Seoul High School, Moon Jung-bin was selected by LG in the second round (77th overall) of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft, but he only made his first division debut last year.

Although he showed potential as a right-handed power hitter with a career slugging percentage of 0.493 in the Futures League, he appeared in only 21 games with 33 plate appearances in the first division last year and was classified as a player still in the development phase for this season.

Moon Jung-bin also admitted frankly, "Our team has many excellent senior players, so I thought it would be difficult to play in the first division this year. Still, I thought if I did my best and worked hard, maybe I'd get a chance." He added, "I set my goal for this season at 10 home runs in the first division, but I reached it faster than expected. Now, I'm not focusing on records anymore; I just want to hit one more at a time."

What is most impressive is the precision shown in his batting average of 0.330 and on-base percentage of 0.414. Last year, Moon Jung-bin struck out 11 times for every walk he drew, showing shortcomings in contact hitting and plate vision. However, with 16 walks and 34 strikeouts this season, including his first two at-bats today, he has demonstrated that he is becoming accustomed to battling against first division pitchers, proving that his recent performance is no accident.

When asked about his approach, Moon Jung-bin replied, "Whenever I step into the batter's box, I always think about the pitch tunnel. Instead of focusing on a wide area, I try to hit only the zones where I'm most comfortable. As a result, I can filter out breaking balls and balls. I don't intentionally look for balls; I just wait while trying to swing. I don't focus too much on watching the ball."

By deciding where to hit and swinging accordingly, unnecessary swings have disappeared, and his ability to handle fastballs has improved. This also came thanks to advice from Yeom Kyung-yeop, LG's manager. Moon Jung-bin explained, "The manager told me not to miss fastballs. As I tried my best not to miss them, I've gotten better at handling breaking balls and hitting fastballs well."

Massive home runs with exit velocities exceeding 170 km/h have now become Moon Jung-bin's trademark. He said, "I'm not sure about the 'feel' of the bat. Even today (the 28th), I thought it would go over as soon as I hit it, but it seems like when I make solid contact, I don't even feel it in my hands."

Thanks to his father, who is an umpire, and a relative who was once an LG player, Jamsil Baseball Stadium feels familiar. Fans are thrilled by the narrative of "Eolin" (LG + Children), as Moon Jung-bin has grown into a core hitter alongside Moon Bo-kyung and Moon Sung-ju.

Moon Jung-bin expressed gratitude, saying, "I was also drafted in a low round. But the coaches in Icheon taught Futures League players with even more passion, which helped us grow."

He added confidently, "Fans have high expectations for me, but I think it's a bit too early. I need to keep going until the end of this season, and I'll work hard to become part of the 'Moon-Moon-Moon Trio.'"

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*This content was translated by AI.