'147 km/h Fastball Headshot → Back-to-Back Appearance': 36-Year-Old Veteran's Fighting Spirit Makes Coach Lee Kang-cheol Simply Grateful: "I told him not to go, but he insisted on playing until the end..." [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz veteran infielder Heo Kyung-min (36) made coach Lee Kang-cheol (60) emotional by appearing in back-to-back games despite the shocking headshot from a 147 km/h fastball.

On the 31st, KT announced its starting lineup for the home game against Hanwha Eagles at SuwonKT Wiz Park as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

For today's game, KT set its batting order as follows: Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Ahn Hyeon-min (designated hitter), Sam Hilliard (center fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). The starting pitcher is So Hyoung-jun.

In response, Hanwha set its lineup as: Lee Won-seok (center fielder), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-seong (first baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Ryu Hyun-jin.

Heo Kyung-min, who was rushed to a hospital two days ago after being hit in the head by a 147 km/h two-seam fastball, started today's game. At that time, KT stated, "Player Heo Kyung-min underwent a CT scan at the hospital, and the results showed only minor bruising. Although he is experiencing slight dizziness, we judge it to be nothing to worry about. We will continue to monitor his condition closely."

Typically, when a player is hit in the head by a fast pitch, they are given several days of rest due to concerns about concussion symptoms. However, Heo Kyung-min had appeared as a substitute the previous day, completing one at-bat and defensive duties, and today he started the game outright.

This fighting spirit could not be stopped even by the manager. Ahead of the 31st game, Coach Lee Kang-cheol shook his head, saying, "Yesterday (the 30th), I told him not to go out, but he said it was fine and insisted on playing until the end, so we sent him in as a pinch hitter at the last moment. Today, he said he wanted to try even just one defensive play or something."

He continued, "We started him today because the opponent's pitcher is left-handed (Ryu Hyun-jin). If it were a right-hander, we wouldn't have started him. Hasn't (Heo) Kyung-min already been hit twice?" he expressed concern.

The incident the manager referred to occurred on March 31 during the Daejeon Hanwha game. At that time, Heo Kyung-min was hit in the head by Eom Sang-baek's 146 km/h fastball and had to sit out for ten days. Moreover, on April 15 during the Changwon NC game, he injured his left hamstring while running the bases and missed about a month of play.

Despite this, he remains a steadfast and valuable FA player stepping onto the field. Ahead of the 2025 season, Heo Kyung-min signed a four-year, 4 billion won FA contract and joined KT. While he was brought in for his exceptional third-base defense, his exemplary attitude is also helping to set a positive tone in the KT dugout.

This year, he is on track for a career-high in batting as well. Despite two hit-by-pitches and a hamstring injury, he has performed with a .340 batting average (68 hits in 200 at-bats), three home runs, 30 RBIs, and 35 runs scored over 62 games, posting an on-base percentage of .412 and a slugging percentage of .435.

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*This content was translated by AI.