"Autumn baseball for the sixth consecutive year since joining the club. I think it's a blessing." Dream of becoming a 24-year-old, 100-run fourth hitter "I want to play baseball every fall until I turn 40.""
Oct 04, 2024
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Moon Bo-kyung joined the LG Twins in the second and third round in 2019. And LG has advanced to the postseason for six consecutive years from that year to this year. Last year, he won the title for the first time in 29 years. Moon Bo-kyung said, `It's a blessing that we came in and went to fall baseball for six consecutive years," he said with a happy smile.
He is Moon Bo-kyung, who has grown every year and became LG's fourth hitter this year. Moon Bo-kyung, who started playing in the first division in 2021, his third year, hit .238 with 39 RBIs in his first year, and hit .315 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs in 2022 when he took the main position as the third baseman. Last year, he hit .31 with 10 home runs and 72 RBIs, and this season he hit .31 with 22 home runs and 101 RBIs. As home runs and RBIs went up every year, he became the center hitter of the team.
He finished the meaningful 2024 regular season by achieving a batting average of .300 and 100 RBIs simultaneously in the final game of the season against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on September 28.
The situation that Moon Bo-kyung, who met in Icheon, told me that day was exciting.
Moon Bo-kyung, who played in all 143 games until the previous day and had a batting average of 296 with 20 home runs and 95 RBIs, hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat against Samsung on the 28th. Moon Bo-kyung practically gave up because he thought it was worth it when he had seven RBIs in four games, but he had to make five RBIs with one game left"But there was an opportunity for the first and second bases in the first inning. "I thought it would be worth a try if I hit a home run, and it was the last game, so I swung big."
But as he thought, the home run went off. His batting average rose to 297 and reached 98 RBIs. What he hit after two outs in the third inning flew to the left this time and became a solo home run. `I didn't expect that the ball would go over in the third inning, but it went over.' His batting average was 298 and 99 RBIs.
In the top of the fifth inning, lead Shin Min-jae got on base with an infield hit and was out due to a failure to steal second base, and Austin went out with a right-handed hit. And Moon Bo-kyung hit a heavy hit. If Shin Min-jae was alive, he could have scored 100 RBIs. His batting average reached 300, but his RBI remained at 99. In the top of the sixth inning, he grounded out in front of the second base and his batting average fell back to 299.
And the lucky eighth episode came. Two outs later, the opportunity to load the bases came to Moon Bo-kyung with Choi Won-young's left-center hit, Kim Min-soo's left-handed hit, and Lee Young-bin's walk. Moon Bo-kyung hit a two-run single flying to the right by hitting a 129km curve in an unfavorable count of 1B2S. He finished the season with a batting average of 311 runs, 22 homers and 101 RBIs by recording four hits (two homers) in five at-bats.
LG allowed its main players to play freely after the third place was confirmed, and Moon Bo-kyung started all the remaining games for 100 RBIs. Moon Bo-kyung said "When I said I was going for 100 RBIs, everyone tried to help me. (Hong) Chang Ki-hyung was having a hard time, but should I run because of me?' He also asked me. Young-bin was also able to hit in a 2B situation in the eighth inning, but he said he waited for the ball on purpose. Everyone cheered and encouraged me. I was grateful to my colleagues."
Now he will start his first postseason as the fourth batter. Moon Bo-kyung said, `But I'm excited and nervous because I play baseball every fall, but I don't think I'm nervous because I played the Korean Series last year," he said, signaling that his experience in the big game is building up.
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"When I joined the team, LG started going to fall baseball and has not advanced to the league for six consecutive years. feel blessed"I wish I could go to baseball every fall while I'm around. My plan is to play baseball until the age of 40, so I still have about 15 years left,' he said, expressing his ambition to bring LG to fall baseball for the next 15 years.
Moon Bo-kyung was also a strong man in autumn. In 2021, he had a batting average of 462 (6 hits in 13 at-bats) and an RBI in the semi-PO against Doosan, and in the PO against Kiwoom in 2022, he had a batting average of 214 (3 hits in 14 at-bats) and an RBI. In the Korean Series against KT last year, he had a batting average of 471 (eight hits in 17 at-bats) with one homer and four RBIs. The postseason record is .386 (17 hits in 44 at-bats) with one home run, five doubles and six RBIs.
Even if he has experienced the postseason for three years, playing as the fourth hitter may be different. In interviews so far, Moon Bo-kyung said "I didn't think anything about the 4th batter", but this time "I think I'll have to go in and find out." I think it might be different in the short term. When the chance comes, we have to solve it as well."
At the same time, Moon Bo-kyung said, `I'm preparing hard while training, so I'm going to leave the result to the sky.' `I think I'll have to play the fourth batter. I'll leave this to heaven, too."
indyk@sportschosun.com
