The new bat handed over by LG Twins’ “captain” Kim Hyun-soo led Oh Ji-hwan (34) to four hits in a game. “I had four hits, but it’s strange that I don’t use the bat,” he said with a smile.
Oh Ji-hwan led his team to a 13-3 victory against SSG Landers at Jamsil Stadium on the 22nd with four hits, three RBIs and three runs from four times at bat. One home run and two doubles are among the four hits. Oh Ji-hwan’s four-hit game was the first in 323 days since the game against Sajik Lotte on October 4 last year.
Oh took the new bat that Kim handed over to bat on the day. Kim approached first and told him to try this bat. The bat that Kim recently ordered from a U.S. manufacturer is identical to the model used by Gunnar Henderson, who is the hottest rookie in the MLB this season. “The weight and length of the bat are all the same, and the shapes and styles are slightly different,” Oh said.
Oh, who had a poor batting average of 0.118 in the last 10 games, said, “It was hard to make a single hit. I wanted to change something because I couldn’t.”
Fortunately, the result was a huge success. Oh Ji-hwan, who connected with a walk on base in his first at-bat, hit a double in the bottom of the second inning. He then hit a two-run homer (season No. 6) off SSG Seo Jin-yong in the fourth inning when his team was trailing 6-3. “At a time when we were chased (by losing three runs) due to a defense error (early the third inning), Oh Ji-hwan’s two-run homer enabled us to win without losing the momentum,” manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said. Afterwards, Oh completed a four-hit game with an RBI double in the sixth inning and a hit to the right field in the eighth inning.
Oh has a batting average of 0.254 with six homers and 43 RBIs for this season. He is a big difference from 2022 when he posted a batting average of 0.269 with 25 homers and 87 RBIs. “I am physically and mentally exhausted, and the weather is so hot. I have been under a lot of stress due to various factors (such as falling behind in the leadoff battle),” Oh said. “I wanted to change something (such as batting) to make a turning point. Fortunately, I had good results. I feel good today.” 메이저사이트
In fact, this is not the first time Oh has experienced the effect of Kim’s bat. In 2022, he had a batting average of 0.175 0 home runs and four RBIs through 11 games since the season’s opening. At that time, Kim handed over a bat. Oh usually used a bat weighing 860-870 grams and a length of 33.5-inch, but what he handed over was heavier and longer, measuring 880-890 grams and 34 inches.
Oh Ji-hwan hit a home run on the day he changed his bat. Starting with this cannon, he hit over 20 home runs at the fastest pace since his debut in the pro league. At this rate, the bat Kim handed over was a magic bat. Being a shortstop who hit home runs, Oh even claimed his first Golden Glove.
Kim Hyun-soo’s magic bat has become a turning point this season as well. With the season nearing its end, I hope it will be a turning point even if it is too late. When asked if he will continue to use the bat handed over by Kim Hyun-soo, Oh said without hesitation, “I had four hits, so I should keep using it.”
LG recently fell to the third place after suffering a crushing defeat against the KIA Tigers in three consecutive games. It is one game away from the second place Samsung Lions and 7.5 games away from KIA Tigers. Only when Oh Ji-hwan recovers, LG can also look to higher ground. “We could suffer a sweep loss or play the winning series. It was a disappointing result, but we have to accept it,” Oh said. “We have a post-season and we don’t know what will happen there.”
