Why was the batter who went 5-for-5 substituted in the eighth inning? The manager said, "I asked him if he wanted to hit one more time..." [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes manager Seol Jong-jin explained why he substituted Seo Geon-chang, who was hitting with five hits in the game.

On the 30th at 6:30 p.m., Kiwoom will face LG Twins in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

Kiwoom defeated LG 18-11 after racking up a total of 23 hits on the previous day (the 29th).

In particular, team veteran Seo Geon-chang started as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot, going 5-for-6 with two RBIs, three runs scored, and one stolen base, contributing significantly to the team's victory.

Seo Geon-chang hit a center-field single in the first inning and another in the second, then added a double to left field in the fourth inning to complete his three-hit game.

That was not the end. In the fifth inning, after two plate appearances, he recorded a center-field single and a left-field single, finishing with five hits for the game.

With this performance, Seo Geon-chang achieved five hits in a single game for the first time since June 22, 2017, against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles — an interval of 3,324 days.

In the seventh inning, during his sixth plate appearance, Seo Geon-chang was retired on a shortstop groundout. In the top of the eighth, Kiwoom's offense began with leadoff hitter No. 7 Chu Jae-hyun striking out, followed by No. 8 Oh Seon-jin grounding out to second base. Then, No. 9 batter Yeo Dong-uk reached on a hit-by-pitch, giving Seo Geon-chang another opportunity at bat. However, manager Seol Jong-jin chose not to let Seo bat again and instead inserted Kim Woong-bin as a pinch hitter.

Regarding this substitution, Manager Seol told reporters ahead of the 30th game: "Yesterday, I asked him if there was any record he was aiming for. If he had gotten a hit in the seventh inning to go 6-for-6, I was considering giving him another chance at his final plate appearance." He continued, "When I asked him in the eighth inning whether he wanted to hit one more time, he replied that he wasn't concerned about records and preferred to rest there. That's why we used a pinch hitter."

Meanwhile, Kiwoom's starting lineup for the day was Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Chu Jae-hyun (left fielder), Davison (designated hitter), An Chi-hong (first baseman), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), Im Byung-wook (center fielder), Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop), and Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman). Kiwoom's starting pitcher was An Woo-jin.

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*This content was translated by AI.