Defense specialist? The bat is also hot… LG’s ‘good fortune’ Koo Bon-hyuk takes the lead in defeating rival Doosan[어제의 프로야구]

2024-04-14 12:53:24

LG’s ‘offensive’ infielder Koo Bon-hyuk smiles brightly after hitting a walk-off hit on the 4th. Newsis

Defending champion LG suffered a shocking third straight loss in a three-game series against KIA held in Gwangju during the week. That is why the match against ‘rival under one roof’ Doosan held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 12th was even more important. We had to get out of the losing streak as soon as possible and turn the situation around.

It was Koo Bon-hyuk, known as a ‘defensive specialist’ infielder, who saved LG from the swamp of consecutive losses. But this time too, Koo Bon-hyuk turned out to be a great man with the bat.

LG was down 0-1 until the 6th inning due to the outstanding performance of Doosan starter Kwak Bin in the early stages of the game. With one out in the top of the 7th inning, LG had a chance to advance with one out and runners on first and second base thanks to Moon Bo-kyung’s hit to right and Oh Ji-hwan’s walk, but Park Dong-won struck out to Kwak Bin and the chance was in danger of being lost.

LG’s Koo Bon-hyuk is good at not only defense but also attack. Newsis

When left-handed hitter Moon Seong-ju was at bat, the Doosan bench made a game-winning move by sending off Kwak Bin, who had reached 108 pitches, and sending left-handed pitcher Lee Byung-hun to the mound in relief. However, the Doosan bench’s decision ultimately became a good opportunity for LG. Moon Seong-ju lightly pushed Lee Byung-hun’s first pitch and hit a timely hit to left, tying the score at 1-1.

This time, the LG bench took the lead. When left-handed hitter Shin Min-jae was at bat, right-handed hitter Koo Bon-hyuk was used as a pinch hitter. Koo Bon-hyuk did not disappoint the bench’s expectations. Koo Bon-hyuk hit a valuable, timely hit to right-center against Lee Byung-hun, turning the game around 2-1.

Before joining Sangmu, Koo Bon-hyuk was a player who was only good at defense. Starting in 2019, his first year in the league, he stayed at a batting average of 100 for three consecutive years until 2021. However, after joining Sangmu, he recorded a batting average of 0.336 in the 2022 Futures League, and hit 0.295, close to .300, in Sangmu last year as well.

After completing his military service, he returned to LG this year and is doing his part as a pinch hitter at every important moment. In the game against NC on the 4th, he hit a walk-off hit in the 11th overtime inning with one out and bases loaded on second and third base, and in the game against KT on the 6th, he hit his first walk-off home run with bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

And on this day, he came out as a pinch hitter at a crucial moment and delivered the winning hit. Of LG’s nine wins this season, three were Koo Bon-hyuk’s winning shots.

After the game, Koo Bon-hyuk said, “Because my defense was good, I mainly played as a substitute defender in the second half of the game, but these days, pinch-hitting seems to be a good fit for me. Even if I go out as a starter every day, I still have to hit well.”

Although it is still early in the season, Koo Bon-hyuk has a batting average of 0.450 (9 hits in 20 at-bats), 1 home run, and 9 RBIs as of today. He has a batting average of 0.700 and an OPS of 1.126.

LG Koo Bon-hyuk’s defense. Koo Bon-hyuk is an infield utility player who can play second base, third base, and shortstop. Newsis

LG starting pitcher Kelly became the winning pitcher with a good pitch in 7 innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run (unearned). LG’s bullpen also did well to preserve the victory. Closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan pitched a perfect pitch, including two strikeouts, against Doosan’s 3rd to 5th batting order, earning his second save of the season.

KIA defeated Hanwha 8-4 in an away game in Daejeon and maintained its lead with 4 consecutive wins.

KIA, which was trailing 0-1, tied the game with Choi Hyeong-woo’s solo shot in the second inning, and then succeeded in turning the game around with Kim Do-young’s left-center shot in the third inning. In the 4th inning, Han Jun-su, who had become an offensive catcher, hit a timely hit and scored one more run. Kim Do-young played an active part with 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats, including a timely hit to right when the team was down 3-2 with 2 outs and runners on second base. Junsu Han also had a 3-RBI game.

In Daegu, second-place NC defeated Samsung, which had been on a five-game winning streak, 8-3. NC foreign starter Daniel Castano earned his third win by allowing two runs in six innings, while center hitter Park Geon-woo led the attack by hitting home runs in the first and fifth innings.

Kiwoom foreign pitcher Heysus is fighting against Lotte on the 12th. Provided by Kiwoom

Kiwoom defeated Lotte 9-4 and jumped to third place, led by new foreign pitcher Emmanuel Haysús’ 6 scoreless innings and returning veteran outfielder Lee Yong-gyu’s performance. Heisus struck out 10 batters while giving up just one hit in six innings. In his first first-team appearance this year, Lee Yong-gyu reached base 5 times with 3 hits in 3 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 hit to the body. Lotte, which made an ambitious start by hiring coach Kim Tae-hyung, recently fell to last place after losing four straight games.

KT defeated SSG Landers 8-3 at home in Suwon. SSG Choi Jeong hit his 464th career home run with a solo shot that went over the fence in the middle of the first inning, but the shine was overshadowed by the team’s victory.

Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]

2024-04-14 12:53:24