With luck on side, reigning KBO MVP back wielding dangerous bat

With luck on side, reigning KBO MVP back wielding dangerous bat: Baseball / 유지호 / 2023-06-08 22:17:19

baseball hitter-performance

▲ Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes hits a triple against the LG Twins during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes rounds second base after hitting a triple against the LG Twins during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes heads to first base after hitting a double against the LG Twins during the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball hitter-performance

With luck on side, reigning KBO MVP back wielding dangerous bat

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Don't look now, but here comes Lee Jung-hoo.

The reigning MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and two-time batting champion is widely considered the best pure hitter in the country, but few, if any, could have imagined the kind of dismal start to the 2023 season from Lee.

He batted only .218 in April, the lowest monthly batting average of his seven-year career. He bounced back in May, hitting .305, and after a 2-for-4 performance in a 13-0 rout of the LG Twins on Thursday, Lee is hitting .500 for June (13-for-26). His season average is up to .294.

That's bad news for pitching staff on nine other KBO teams.

At every chance he had during his early-season slump, Lee insisted he was swinging the bat well and just wasn't getting balls to drop for hits. For about a month now, Lee has enjoyed some batted-ball luck on his side, with some positive results finally following his consistent process.

"I've been feeling great at the plate for a while now, and now I am finally putting up some decent numbers," Lee said at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. "I just have to make sure I maintain this form going forward."

Lee knocked in three runs and now has six RBIs in seven games this month. He had 12 RBIs in 26 games last month.

"I am not doing anything different with runners in scoring position," Lee said. "Earlier in the season, I would make good contact and the balls would be caught. The difference now is those balls end up as hits."

Lee said he had long stopped worrying about his rotten luck at the plate.

"Now, I think I am getting a few lucky bounces here and there," Lee added. "It's certainly nice to see a few balls get through the infield."

Lee did let on that there were times earlier in the year when he gripped his bat too tight and went after bad pitches, in ill-advised attempts to snap out of his funk.

"At first, I figured I was just having a slow start and I'd get out of it soon," Lee said. "After a while, I started worrying that I was hurting the team. So I started chasing results and swinging at pitches I shouldn't have."

Heroes manager Hong Won-ki never lost his faith in Lee, though. Whenever he was asked about Lee, Hong kept saying he didn't just think Lee would get better, but that he knew for a fact the player would regain his stroke.

To help give Lee as many at-bats as possible to right the ship, Hong put Lee in the leadoff spot for most of May, up from his usual No. 3 hole.

Two months into the season, Lee is making his skipper look prescient.

"The manager and the entire staff have helped me get better," Lee said. "It's fortunate I've come this far, and I think I still have more room for improvement the rest of the season."

Lee reached a career milestone in Thursday's win, picking up his 500th career RBI with a two-run double in the first inning.

At 24 years, nine months and 19 days, Lee is the third-youngest player in KBO history to reach that mark. Former slugger Lee Seung-yuop (23 years, eight months and one day) was the youngest to do so. Kim Ha-seong, a former Heroes star currently playing for the San Diego Padres, was next at 24 years, eight months and 14 days.

"It's a huge honor to be mentioned alongside such a legendary hitter and a major league player," Lee said. "You can't pick up RBIs on your own. I want to thank my teammates for getting on base in front of me."

(END)