“Throughout the game, Ji-chan was telling him, ‘If you go out, I’ll hit you from behind, so go out no matter what.'” Samsung Lions outfielder Kim Hyun-jun was full of confidence.
The outfielder went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored in the Samsung Lions’ win over the Lotte Giants in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Nov. 11 at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.
On the day, Kim hit a game-tying single in the seventh inning, and his cool tying hit in the 10th inning, which sent the game into extra innings, set the stage for the team’s victory.
After the game, Samsung head coach 안전놀이터 Park Jin-man praised Kim Ki-chan and Kim Hyun-jun for their table-setting batting and baserunning.
After missing the start of the season due to injury, Kim was called up on May 19 against the NC Dinos. In his return, he had a multi-hit game with his first career home run, but he struggled to find his groove. He hit just .237 in May.
However, he recovered in June. He had his first four-hit game of the season against Hanwha in Daejeon on the 2nd, followed by two and three against Lotte on the 10th and 11th, respectively. His batting average for the month of June is 0.359. His season batting average is 0.299, which is on track to reach the triple digits.
After the game, Kim Hyun-jun said, “The hitters in front of me created a lot of opportunities, and I bet on them unconditionally.”
He and Kim Ji-chan, who was the table setter for the day, had a great rapport. Kim Ji-chan was just as good as Kim Hyun-jun. He went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs as the leadoff hitter.
“Throughout the game, Ji-chan was telling my brother, ‘If you go out, I’ll hit from behind, so go out no matter what,'” Kim said. I think Ji-chan answered him,” said Kim.
That day, 18,896 people attended LAPPAC. Following the previous day’s sellout, many fans showed up to cheer on the Samsung players despite it being a weekday.
Kim Hyun-jun said, “We were encouraged by the support of many fans this week. Thank you for your continued support,” said Kim.