Following the 2022 season, SSG Landers runs well this season as well, running solo, but it is not without concerns about the team’s power. It is a weakness that the pressure and concentration of the other line are not as good as last year.
Choo Shin-soo, who is starting as a leadoff player, is barely getting out of the sluggish batting average with a batting average of only 0.202, and the sluggish performance of Geopo Hanyu Island, one of the central batting lines, is also painful. Choi Ji-hoon, who showed a high-sensitivity batting average with a batting average of 0.352, has been out of the lineup since April 29 due to an injury.
SSG, which is suffering from the sluggishness and injuries of its main hitters, is able to get a multiplier nonetheless thanks to the active performance of veteran Kim Kang-min, who plays the role of a solver in a crisis situation.
※ Key records of SSG’s Kim Kang-min in the last 5 seasons
▲ SSG Kim Kang-min’s main records for the last 5 seasons (Source: Baseball Recording Room KBReport.com)
ⓒ KB Report
Kim Kang-min, 카지노사이트who played as a pinch hitter in the top of the 6th inning against the KIA Tigers on the 10th, scored a hit in the first at-bat, then returned with a solo home run against Jang Hyun-sik, who was replaced in the 2nd in the 8th inning, putting a wedge in the team’s victory. Looking at the situation and process at the time the home run came out, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the home run that led to SSG’s victory.
Before Kang-Min Kim’s home run, SSG was 4-3, maintaining a thin ice-like one-point lead. However, in the previous inning, in the top of the 7th inning, Choo Shin-soo’s absurd run led to an additional point, and Choi Kyung-mo’s defensive mistake in the next inning immediately led to the game’s atmosphere gradually shifting to the home team’s KIA side. In this situation, Kim Kang-min’s one shot that turned the pendulum of the game broke.
Also, the process of the home run was dramatic. The opponent is Jang Hyeon-sik, a member of the KIA Pilseungjou, and his fastball pitch is one of the best pitchers in the league. In a situation where the ball count was driven to 2-2, when a 146km/h high fastball inducing a miss, Kang-min Kim countered it as if he had waited and passed the fence behind the left fielder.
It can be said that fast bat speed is a prerequisite to attack Jang Hyun-sik’s high fastball with good speed and pitch. The veteran Kim Kang-min, who is 42 years old this year, has proved that his skills have not dulled over time with his powerful swing comparable to his prime.
▲ Kim Kang-min is showing outstanding performance in the 42-year-old season.
ⓒ SSG Landers
It is expected that SSG’s lead Suseong will gain momentum in the future as there is Kim Kang-min, who is outstanding in karate and defense as if he is aging backwards. If Kim Kang-min, who is recording an OPS (slugging percentage + on-base percentage) of 1.026 between starters and pinch hitters, continues to play a role like salt, power leakage can be minimized until Heredia and Choi Ji-hoon return.
Kim Kang-min came out as a pinch hitter in the Korean Series last year and hit a decisive home run, leading the championship and becoming the series MVP. Kim Kang-min, who has been running as an active player for 23 years since joining the pro in 2001, does not feel the weight of the years. Today, Kim Kang-min is at Landers.