Son Ho-young (aged 30, Lotte Giants) who challenged to record the longest hit in consecutive games in the KBO ended his career at Gocheok Stadium. However, many applauded his challenge without giving up until the end. Finally, he is on par with Park Jung-tae (55), the club legend. He has had hits in 31 consecutive games. The only hit left is Park Jong-ho (51), who has hits in 39 consecutive games, the longest in the KBO league.
Son Ho-young started as the third and designated hitter in a regular season visit game between the Kiwoom Heroes and the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 21st, recording no hits and one walk in three times at bat.
Son Ho-young, who stepped down on a fly ball to right field after touching the first pitch changeup of Kiwoom starter Enmanuel Heissus in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, walked to get on base after a full count match in his second at-bat in the top of the fourth inning. In the top of the sixth inning, he hit the 111 km/h curveball, which was his first pitch, and grounded out to shortstop. As Lotte was dragged 1-4 until the top of the eighth inning, his chance seemed to be numbered. In what could be his last at-bat, Son Ho-young, who faced off Kiwoom’s must-win group Kim Sung-min, watched two balls and kicked out a changeup, putting him in an unfavorable ball count of 1B2S. He hit a 136 two-seam fastball for the fourth pitch, and the ball went toward the second base. Son Ho-young didn’t give up until the end and threw himself head-first sliding to first base, but the first base umpire declared out. The decision was not reversed despite Lotte’s request for a video review. In the meantime, the third baseman successfully stepped home and scored an RBI.
As Cho Sang-woo, the closing pitcher of Kiwoom, faltered in the top of the ninth inning, the opportunity seemed to come once again. With one out in the top of the ninth inning, pinch-hitter Junghoon Lee doubled to the right-center field, Hwang Sung-bin stole second and third bases with two outs, while second batter Ko Seung-min took the batter’s box and waiting batter Son Ho-young took the batter’s box. As the fourth pitch Ko hit headed for an ambiguous position near the left foul line, it seemed that Son had a last chance. However, Kiwoom left fielder Ronnie Dawson caught the ball with a sliding catch, which ended Son’s bid to have consecutive hits.
With this, Son Ho-young ended his streak of consecutive hits from the match against the LG Twins in Jamsil on April 17 in “30 games.” In 2018, he tied for third in the KBO’s longest consecutive hits record with Kim Jae-hwan (36, Doosan Bears). The longest record in this category is Park Jong-ho’s 39 consecutive hits over two seasons from 2003 to 2004. When he was with the Hyundai Unicorns, Park Jong-ho recorded 39 consecutive hits from the game against the Doosan Bears in Suwon to the game against the Samsung Lions on April 21, 2004.
In second place was Park Jung-tae (55), a Lotte franchise star and KBO second baseman legend, who had 31 consecutive hits from May 5, 1999, against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon to the Doosan Bears in Masan on June 8. This was also the longest hit in a single KBO season, but Son Ho-young ended the record unfortunately. 핑크알바
Although Son Ho-young’s challenge to hit consecutive games ended, he received a lot of attention for his dramatic story and dramatic challenge process. Son entered Hongik University after graduating from Bugok Elementary School, Pyeongchon Middle School, and Chunghun High School in Uiwang, and after dropping out, he headed to the Chicago Cubs of the U.S. Major League Baseball (ML). After returning home after experiencing challenges such as turning into a pitcher there, he joined the independent club Yeoncheon Miracle and was drafted by the LG Twins with the 23rd pick in the third round of the second KBO rookie draft in 2020.
His dream to become a professional baseball player was not smooth at the age of 26. During the four seasons with LG, he hit .253 (40 hits in 158 times at bat), four homers, 23 RBIs, 32 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 94 games, and had an on-base percentage of 0.367 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.663, and headed to the Lotte Giants through a one-on-one trade with Woo Kang-hoon (22). He became the starting pitcher with the full support of Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung, and continued to stage fierce attacks from April. Fans called him a “buckster.”
The process of challenging for consecutive hits was also dramatic, drawing more attention. Despite a three-week hiatus due to a hamstring injury in the Daegu Samsung Lions on May 3, Son returned to the match against the NC Dinos in Busan on June 2 and recorded multiple hits, continuing his streak of hits.
The game against the Suwon KT Wiz on Tuesday was the highlight. Son Ho-young, who had a strikeout, fly ball, strikeout and strikeout at the previous four at-bats, appeared with one out in the top of the ninth inning when Lotte was losing 5-6 and fired a solo shot to the left wall to Park Young-hyun. It was his homerun that continued his streak of hits, and his dramatic arch that tied the game.
The challenge, which was carried out with so many people’s expectations, began at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on April 17, 2024, and stopped at Gocheok Sky Dome on June 21, 2024, but Son Ho-young’s story was brilliant enough to praise the enemy commander. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said in an interview before the game, “I don’t have time to care about other teams,” but added, “Although I am a player from other teams, I think it is positive for the development of the KBO league that players, especially those who had a lot of tears and difficulties, challenge such a milestone. I think it’s good if the players play their best and record comes out. Even if another player becomes a victim of the milestone, it will be a hot topic in itself, and I believe that such records will be a good direction because they can be the dreams and goals of other young players.”
