Yomiuri Giants Korean slugger
Lee Seung-yeop |
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Yomiuri Giants slugger Lee Seung-yeop hit three homers in three days in a series against the Yakult Swallows in Tokyo ― one on Friday, the second on Saturday, and the other on Sunday.
After a win and a loss in the first two games of the series, Lee fired a three-run homer off Swallows starter Masanori Ishikawa in the bottom of sixth inning Sunday in a 7-1 Giants' win. It was his 15th homer and 32nd RBI of the season. Lee's batting average is now .249.
``I am glad that the homer ended the game. I just tried to hit an outfield fly,'' Lee said.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old South Korean hit a solo home run off Swallow starter Yoshinori Satoh at the bottom of fifth inning. The Giants lost 6-1, but escaped a scoreless defeat due to Lee's solo.
``I want to contribute to the team with many hits,'' Lee told Sports Hochi, a Japanese daily newspaper after the game. ``I am getting better as I practice batting one or two hours more in the stadium than before.''
Lee has focused on adjusting his swing and not widening his right shoulder. He has also been working on his balance in order to hit the ball better.
On Friday, Lee connected a solo homer off Swallows starter Shohei Tateyama, hitting a low insider slide. Tateyama is a top-ranked ace in the win standings, with eight in the Central League and has an 2.80 ERA.
In the seventh inning, Swallows closer Lee Hye-chun, who only joined the first division this month, did not allow any runs. The former Doosan Bears pitcher struck out his compatriot Lee Seung-yeop. The Giants won 7-2.
``Yomiuri's line-up is getting stronger as Lee recovers from his slump,'' Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said, pointing out the importance of Lee to the club. Hara has been coaching Lee man-to-man in a bid to improve his condition.
``We were able to play this game at our pace and stay in control throughout. It was a good start to the series,'' The Japan Times quoted Hara as saying.
The former Samsung Lions infielder had been in a slump during the Interleague, hitting .186, but is recovering after firing a homer in a match against the Chiba Lotte Marines on June 20.
Yomiuri hung on to the Central League's top spot with a 39-6-20 record after the games, followed by the Swallows. For the Giants, Lee's revival is good news.
Lee is ranked fourth in the home run standings in the Central League. Chunichi Dragons infielder Tony Blanco of the Dominican Republic is top with 21 homers, followed by teammate Kazuhiro Wada with 19. Giants infielder Michihiro Ogasawara trails in third with 16.
Meanwhile, Swallows closer Lim Chang-yong, dubbed ``Mr. Zero,'' emerged to pitch at the bottom of ninth in the match on Saturday, and didn't allow any runs to three batters with 13 balls. Lim extended his ERA zero innings to 30 2/3, but couldn't earn a save because the team won with big numbers.
In 2008, the 33-year-old South Korean earned 33 saves in 54 appearances.
Lim was ranked second in the All-Star vote for closers with 142,228 as of June 22. Hanshin Tigers pitcher Kyuji Fujikawa was in top spot with 143,110 votes.
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