One hit in one game is a bummer. LG Twins outfielder Hong Chang-ki (30) takes aim at the batting champs with his watery bat.
Hong Chang-ki’s batting average is frightening. In 14 games in September, he is batting .455 (25 for 55). She has 10 multi-hit games (two or more hits in a game). He’s only had one hitless game.
He is still the best leadoff hitter in the KBO. He’s drawn nine walks, including one intentional walk. His on-base percentage is a whopping .508, and he’s gotten on base twice. Hong said, “I was a little down at the end of August, but I feel like I’m hitting well again. I think it helped that I had four consecutive days off due to the recent rain cancellation,” said Hong.
In her chances, she swung the bat sharper. He’s hitting a whopping .750 with runners in scoring position, swiping 14 bags this month. With no runners on base, she creates scoring opportunities, and with runners in scoring position, she’s the ideal solution. “I go to the plate with the idea that I have to solve a problem. I don’t just wait around,” he said.
After being in third through fifth place, Hong finally moved into the lead in the batting title race. He took over the top spot with a 5-for-3 performance against the SSG Landers in Jamsil on April 16. Even against left-hander Ko Hyo-joon, who had plagued him with seven hitless at-bats, he stole his first hit to raise his batting average to 0.340. In the next day’s doubleheader, he went 3-for-9 with three RBIs to pull within one run of NC Dinos’ Son Asub (.339).
Hong won her first career title after leading the league in slugging percentage in 2021. After a slow start last year due to a strike zone adjustment and an abdominal injury, he rebounded this year. He has a concise swing that utilizes his high bat speed to turn pitches that aren’t hard-hit into hits. While he only has one home run, he has 33 doubles (first place) that utilize his quick feet.
Still, Hong’s focus is on getting on base. “I know who my competition is for the batting title,” she says, “but I don’t really think about it. I don’t know what will happen until the end, so I’ll do my best.” He added, “Park Yong-taek told me, ‘You should do it while you can’. I think it’s something he hopes to receive. I have to do well,” he laughed.
LG is effectively on a countdown to a regular season championship. The magic number is 18. Given the number of games remaining, it’s a tough gap for KT to overcome. The atmosphere in the dugout is great. Whenever someone hits a home run, they all rub shoulders and cheer. Hong Chang-ki said, “The atmosphere is so good. My brothers set the tone, so we just have to follow suit.”토토사이트
LG fans love Hong Chang-ki because he hasn’t always been a star. A former pitcher at Ansan Public High School, he turned to batting late in life because of the Ips and hit .440. However, he didn’t get drafted, so he enrolled at Konkuk University, where he gained attention as an outfielder. However, even after turning pro, he found it difficult to break through the stiff LG outfield competition, so he enlisted in the military (National Police Agency Baseball Team).
Hong, who began playing in the first team in 2020, his fourth year as a professional, is considered to be the next in a lineage of LG left-handed hitters that includes Lee Byung-kyu and Park Yong-taek. “I haven’t played (full-time) for a few years yet,” Hong said. If I’m compared to my seniors, I need to be better,” he said.
Hong ranks fourth in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) among beasts, behind Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom Heroes), and Choi Jung (SSG Landers). Of the four, she has the best team performance. If Hong, who leads the team in runs scored (100) and on-base percentage (.452) as of Sept. 17, can win four titles, including most hits (157-3rd) and batting average, he could be in the running for MVP. “I don’t think so,” Hong laughed, “because Sihwan is hitting well and Eric Peddy is pitching well.”