LG started its home three-game series on a high note with a come-from-behind win over Samsung. Oh Ji-hwan (33) was the hero of the game. But there’s another player we shouldn’t forget. Kim Hyun-soo (35).
LG came from behind to win 2-1 in the first game of a midweek three-game series against Samsung in the 2023 KBO League regular season at Jamsil Stadium on Wednesday.
Trailing 0-1 through six innings, LG scored a run in the bottom of the seventh on Lee Jae-won’s sacrifice fly to tie the game, then scored the game-winning run in the eighth. Oh Ji-hwan scored the winning run.
The highlight is the 8th inning. The score was 1-1. Kim Min-sung walked. Jung Joo-hyun entered the game. Kim Hyun-soo stood at the plate. He laid down a bunt on the first pitch.
The third baseman makes the catch and throws to first to retire the runner, Kim Hyun-soo. Jung Joo-hyun reached second. Kim Hyun-soo laid down a sacrifice bunt.
Austin then grounded out to shortstop. Samsung’s Lee Jae-hyun was caught in a fielder’s choice. Park Dong-won walked and Oh Ji-hwan singled to left-center to make it 2-1.
Kim Hyun-soo’s bunt set the stage for the 메이저사이트 comeback. It’s important to note that it was a sacrifice bunt. Kim had played in 1,862 career games since his debut in 2006, with only one sacrifice bunt. He has 100 sacrifice flies in his career, but the sacrifice bunt is a different story.
It happened 16 years ago. It was on September 22, 2007, against Samsung Electronics in Jamsil. It took Kim Hyun-soo 5743 days to add a “sacrifice hit” to his record.
His recent form hasn’t been good. In May, he batted just .148 in 21 games. In June, he had only six hits in 29 at-bats and a .207 batting average in seven games. He did have a three-hit game against Hanwha on the 11th, his last game, which gave him a chance to rebound.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, “I think Kim Hyun-soo has revitalized a little bit. It’s not just about getting hits or not getting hits. He started swinging his own way. It looks like he’s getting better.”
He didn’t get another hit on the day. In his first three at-bats, he hit a fly ball to center field, a grounder to first base, and a straight fly to third base. His third pitch was a good one, but it got caught in the third baseman’s glove.
And the fourth at-bat. A sacrifice bunt. No one saw it coming. It’s no exaggeration to say that it was a bunt with the determination to do something in a 1-1 tie, to do something to help his team win.
“I felt like I knew what (Kim) Hyun-soo was thinking when he bunted. I thought I had to make the most of the opportunity. I also thought it was my last chance to score. I only thought, ‘Let’s save it,'” he explained. Without Kim’s sacrifice, Oh’s game-winning hit might not have happened.
In his career, Oh is batting .314 with 236 home runs, 1303 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.881. He has been one of the most dominant hitters in the KBO. He’s had some ups and downs this season, but his career isn’t going anywhere.
As the mainstay of the team, he is determined to help them win. It was a veteran’s struggle, a desperation. It was an ordinary bunt, but it shone more because it was Kim Hyun-soo.