LG Twins center fielder Kim Hyun-soo hit a game-winning home run to extend his team’s winning streak to three games.
LG won 5-3 against Kiwoom at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 11.
It was a tight pitcher’s duel until the fourth inning. LG opened the scoring in the fifth with a solo home run by Moon Bo-kyung, followed by a double by Park Dong-won and an RBI single by Moon Sung-joo to take a 3-0 lead. Kiwoom tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on a bases-loaded single by Kim Hye-sung, a push single by Dawson and a sacrifice fly by Song Sung-moon.
With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, LG’s leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki singled to right. A sacrifice bunt put runners on first and second. Kim Hyun-soo drew a three-pitch, one-strike count against Moon Sung-hyun and launched a five-pitch slider (134 kilometers) over the right field fence for a two-run home run. It was in the middle of the strike zone.
After the game, Kim Hyun-soo said, “I was waiting for a strike, and I think it came. I knew that Moon Sung-hyun is an aggressive pitcher, so I didn’t think he would give me a walk,” said Kim.
Kim Hyun-soo, who hit 23 home runs last year, hit his fourth home run of the season. “There are times like this, I’m going to try to do better, and today I’m really happy that I was able to help the team win,” Kim said.
Kim’s home runs have dropped off dramatically, and his batting has been up and down. He was hitting in the high teens in April, then struggled in May. In June, he was back in the triple digits, but in July and August, he was in the 2.5-2.6 range. He’s had three straight multi-hit games, including a home run today.
Kim said, “I’m practicing more because I think I have to overcome it. I’m thinking that it will get better with practice, and I hope it does now,” he said.
He credits his hip turn for his recent improvement. “I’ve been paying a lot of attention to my hip turn, and I think it’s gotten a little better. I thought my hip turn was a little weak, so I think it’s gotten a little better while thinking about my hip turn and center shift,” Kim explained.
The game was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Austin was ejected for protesting the umpire’s strikeout call. Kim Hyun-soo, a senior, calmed the players down.
“I said, ‘Let’s stay calm. When Austin left the game, the atmosphere was a bit chaotic, so I said, ‘Let’s stay calm,’ and ‘Let’s get the chaotic atmosphere back. You get ejected, you go out and protest, and you can’t control the messiness. It’s raining, it’s raining, it’s raining,” he said.
Kim Hyun-soo took matters into his own hands and turned the messy atmosphere into a victory celebration. 토토사이트