202 hits! Finally, it's gone! Reyes broke the 10-year-old Seo Geon-chang record in the final game of the season + the last at-bat
Oct 01, 2024
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Seo Geon-chang's 10-year-old record of 201 hits was finally broken. The Venezuelan hit machine crossed the 200-hit wall, which was like an iron fortress, and set a milestone in the final game and final at-bat of the season.
Lotte Giants Victor Reyes finally hit his 202nd hit. The second timely hit of the season produced the 61st multi-hit game.
Reyes played as the first designated hitter against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 1st. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung, whom I met before the game, said, `I hope we will have more opportunities even if we have just one at-bat. I hope you will focus on hitting and set a record."
The starting pitcher of NC Dinosaurs was a natural enemy who had no hits in five times at bat against Lee Jae-hak and Reyes. His first at-bat in the top of the first inning was a fly ball to right field, and his second at-bat in the top of the third inning was a fly ball to center field. The agile movement of NC center fielder Choi Sung-won also drew sighs from Lotte fans.
However, Reyes' sharp bat shone only on the scoring chance. Lotte finally scored the first run in the top of the fifth inning with starter Aaron Wilkerson pitching scoreless until the fourth inning. Leading hitter Jung Hoon got on base with a double in left-center, and Park Seung-wook also responded with an RBI double on the right-field line.
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The second hit was hardly forthcoming. He had only one hit in each of the last two games. NC's sharp defense aimed at the beauty of Yoo Jong also stood out.
In the final game of the season, the final at-bat, a milestone was finally set. Reyes entered the batter's box with two outs and a second base in the top of the ninth inning with Ko Seung-min's two-run shot, leading 4-1, and an RBI double that hit the left fence also set a new 202 hit record.
Reyes has consistently maintained a high batting average of over 350 percent this year, and his performance of 15 home runs and 110 RBIs and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.905 is also spectacular. Lotte played a key role in the fall baseball fight along with Son Ho-young and Barnes.
Another medal for Reyes is the all-rounder. From the opening game to the final game of the day, he played in all 144 games. The match was Reyes' 61st multi-hit game of the year.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
