“Until mid-May, I did a ‘special hit’ every day.”
Kiwoom Heroes Lee Jung-hoo (25) is a player very familiar with the title of ‘talent’. Even before his professional debut, he became famous early as the son of LG Twins coach Lee Jong-beom.
Of course, Lee Jung-hoo’s innate talent is definitely great. However, it is true that efforts to match it have also been steadily supported. Today’s Lee Jung-hoo is by no means a hitter made only with talent. Ironically, his efforts were always hidden behind the shadow of his talent, but now his efforts are shining stronger than ever.메이저놀이터
Lee Jung-hoo took on the big challenge of revising his batting form ahead of this season in order to improve his ability to cope with the ball quickly. He made changes to several areas, such as arm position and stance, and immediately utilized them in practice.
It was a challenge with a big heart, but the result was bittersweet. Lee Jung-hoo suffered the worst slump since his debut during the month of April. He rarely finds the timing to hit, and his monthly batting average is only 0.218 (19 hits in 87 at-bats). His season batting average even went down to 0.194 at one point in April.
From the end of April, Lee Jung-hoo went into a major revision of the plan. He decided to return his batting form to the past and start a rebound. Of course, during this process, he also mixed in the good elements he found while creating the new form.
Since May he has drawn a rebound curve. He raised his season batting average to 0.266 as he finished May. His batting average for the month of May was 0.305 (32 hits in 105 at-bats). Little by little he began to find his own average.
Lee Jeong-hoo, who regained his senses, quickly raised his season batting average to 30% through runaways in June. He batted exactly 0.500 (19-for-38) in 10 games in June for a season batting average of 0.304 (70-for-230). As of the 12th, he is on a 14-game hitting streak.
Lee Jung-hoo, who came out of the long tunnel, said, “I don’t think there is anything I haven’t done. Out of frustration, I tried sprinkling sauna salt on my body and sprinkling the holy water my mother received from the cathedral on the Gocheok Dome at bat.”
However, the driving force behind this rebound was, of course, his own efforts. Lee Jung-hoo said, “Until mid-May, I did a ‘special hit’ every day. After that, he tried to find a sense of it by repeating the routine I had kept. He tried to keep the strike zone as much as possible to prevent getting his hands on bad balls.”
If he only believed in his talent and vaguely waited for his senses, a 30% batting average would have been difficult for Lee Jung-hoo to step on this year. However, he found the answer through his own efforts after many trials and errors. This time, it can be said that his efforts have shone out of the shadow of his talent.
