“It’s amazing”
KT Wiz’s Hwang Jae-gyun started as the fifth batter at third base in the 11th game of the season between the Lotte Giants and the team in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 9th and played 2 hits (one home run) in 5 at-bats with 3 RBIs and 2 runs.
Hwang Jae-gyun hit a 122km curve of the second pitch in 0B-1S against Lotte starter Park Se-woong in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases, but he started the game with a ground ball to the third base. In addition, Hwang Jae-gyun hit a 137km slider at the first pitch of Park Se-woong in the bottom of the second inning with two outs and a full base, and lowered his head to center field.
While failing to take advantage of his chances twice, Hwang had no failed attempt at his third at bat. In the bottom of the fourth inning with a 4-1 lead, Hwang once again clashed with Park Se-woong at the first and second bases with Kim Sang-soo’s hit and Oh Jae-il’s walk. And this time, he gave his bat vigorously to a 144 km fastball that fell to the lower course of the fourth pitch in 2B-1S. The hit was hit well enough to sense that it was a home run at the same time as the hit, leading to a three-run homer to the left. It was his eighth of this season.
It was a meaningful homer. It was his 100th hit of the season, while effectively winning the game early on. With this homer, Hwang Jae-gyun became the 10th player in KBO history to have 100 hits in 13 consecutive years. Although the number of 100 hits may seem insignificant, it was clear that it was a valuable record that only nine players outperformed Hwang.
After hitting a three-run shot, Hwang Jae-kyun hit a ground ball to the third base against Lotte’s changed pitcher Lee Min-seok in his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, but in his last at-bat as a leadoff batter in the bottom of the eighth inning, he hit a 145-km fastball on the second pitch to explode a double that separates left-center, and led KT to three consecutive wins with two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored by following batter Kim Min-hyuk’s timely hit.
When asked about the home run situation after the game, Hwang Jae-gyun said, “I just started aiming for the body course. I thought I shouldn’t hit the bat on the outside slider. I was aiming for two fastballs and sliders, but the ball came to the body course, which led to good results,” adding, “I could feel that it was a home run as soon as I got hit.”
Hwang has had 19 hits, two homers, 10 RBIs and a batting average of 0.432, in his last 10 games. On the previous day (August 8), he also led the winning series of the KT Wiz by exploding a finishing hit in the top of the 12th inning in a game that was 0-0 until the 11th inning in overtime at a showdown with the KIA Tigers. “Yesterday (August 8), the pitchers threw so well that they led the team 0-0,” Hwang said. “Today, before hitting the three-run, the batters gave me a score, so I went in with ease.”
Hwang Jae-gyun became the 10th player in KBO history to achieve 100 hits for 13 consecutive years on the day, but he seemed to be oblivious to the record. “Honestly, I think I should hit 100 hits unconditionally if I play as the main player. So, it doesn’t mean much. I was delayed in achieving 100 hits this year due to poor performance, but I want to finish the season with a better performance and a more victory for my team,” he said.
When Hwang Jae-gyun said that only nine players had 100 hits so far, he said, “I didn’t put much emphasis on 100 hits because I thought it would be natural to have 100 hits when playing in a game. I’ve never thought about it that much,” adding, “I think I was born with only a strong body. I’ve only been able to endure this.”
KT is a slow starter who starts off the season with difficulty every year. As the team continues its strides throughout the season, it tends to elevate its performance. In the first half of this year, KT ranked seventh with 38 wins, two draws and 45 losses. However, since the beginning of the second half of the year, KT has been leading the league with 15 wins and eight losses. It has also jumped to fifth place in the ranking before long. If the current trend continues, KT can seek to advance to the post season based on its trust. Despite its tough start every year, what is the driving force behind the team’s advance to the upper and middle ranks. 메이저놀이터
“If we start the season with the idea that ‘if we do well from the beginning, we will definitely be No. 1,’ I don’t know because we always start with five consecutive losses,” Hwang Jae-gyun said with a smile. “However, I think the driving force behind us to hit the ground running in the second half is because the coaching staff and coaches take good care of our physical strength, and the players take good care of themselves in weight training, and they don’t get tired in the summer.”
The trend continues to increase every year from mid to late in the season, but players face the same anxiety every year due to poor performance in the early part of the season. Hwang said, “Every year, we say ‘this year is really tough.’ Last year and this year was the same. I thought it would be tough this year as well, but we are already competing for fifth place. It’s amazing,” but he added, “Of course, we have to go to fall baseball. Wouldn’t it be fun if we go to fall baseball?” KT’s magic begins from now on.
