Top sluggers open with homers
By Cho Mu-hyun
The performances of the nation’s top sluggers over the weekend suggested that the Korea Baseball Organization’s (KBO) goal of 7 million spectators this season could well become a reality.
Lee Seung-yeop, Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Tae-kyun, the domestic league’s three top batters each hit a home run in their respective opening exhibition games.
Samsung Lions’ franchise star Lee, who has returned to Korea after nine years in the Nippon Professional League (NPB), hit the first homer of the preseason against the LG Twins on Saturday.
The 35-year-old hit a two-run long ball over the right fence off a 134-kilometer-per-hour pitch from the Twin’s right-hander Lim Chan-kyu in the fifth inning. The hit drew applause from fans of both teams, welcoming back signs of a return to form of one of the country’s top batters.
“The sound was rather weird and dull. The ball felt heavy,” said Lee, but the home run traveled 130 meters from the plate.
Lee’s teammate Choi Hyung-woo, who hit the crucial home run in the Asian Series final against Japan’s Softbank Hawks, hit another Sunday to show the Lions have more than one skilled slugger in their line-up.
Choi hit a one-run homer against LG pitcher Yoon Won-sang’s 143-kilometer-per-hour fastball in the sixth inning over the right fence.
“My hits are improving. I am going to keep this up,” said the 29-year-old confidently, who was singled out for praise by team manager Ryu Joong-il.
The Hanwha Eagles’s Kim Tae-kyun, the highest paid man in KBO history with an annual salary of 1.5 billion won, also hit a home run to show why the Eagles’ have invested so much in the cleaner. Kim was greeted by rousing applause by the home fans as he stepped on to the plate, and repaid them with a three-run homer over the left fence. The Nexen Heroes lefty Kang Yoon-ku’s fastball failed to escape Kim’s sharp eye for the ball.
“What I aimed for as a fly ball to the outfield led to a good result,” said Kim. “My hits are better than during the spring training camp. I will keep up the pace and focus on making long hits.”
“It is very encouraging for the team that Kim Tae-kyun’s long hits are returning,” said Eagles manager Han Dae-hwa. “I am happy that his game sense is increasing.”
The exhibition games continue today, and all four start at 1 p.m. at four stadiums. The preseason round-robin matches continue until April 1 and the regular season begins on April 7.