Big gun table setter, tick clean-up...Nevertheless, the magic batting order of the steel table worked as ordered
Big gun table setter, tick clean-up...Nevertheless, the magic batting order of the steel table worked as ordered
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KT coach Lee Kang-chul broke common sense. In preparation for the opening of the 2025 season, the team had Kang Baek-ho and Mel Rojas Jr., the strongest hitters in the team, at the 1st and 2nd positions to form a new concept table setter. Lee, who enjoyed the game by setting Rojas as a leadoff last year, formed a stronger batting order at the 1st and 2nd positions.먹튀검증
They put the best hitters in the lead and put them in many at-bats. It is very common sense, but it is a little far from the "common sense" of conventional baseball. According to the existing baseball grammar, batting order 3rd, 4th, and 5th holds the symbolism of being the best hitter in the team and a big shot. If you create and shake a chance at batting order 1st and 2nd, which have good on-base plus mobility, you will hit them at the next three at-bats to bring them home. This is why the 3rd, 4th, and 5th are called "clean-up trio" meaning to "sweep them in."
KT has forward-deployed the two strongest hitters in its team. Instead, it set up Heo Kyung-min and Kim Min-hyuk, who are good at contacting each other, at No. 3 and No. 4. He added another surprise. Although his batting average is close to 0.293 for the 14 years since his debut as a pro, he has hit only 60 homers. In his 10th year as a pro, Kim Min-hyuk also hit 10 homers in total.
Even in the U.S. Major League, which boasts a long history, there have been consistent attempts to put strong batters in the leadoff or second batting order. While batters with high on-base and walk ratios have been included in the top hitter, many teams have recently filled with big guns that can hit more than 40 home runs. Major league sluggers such as Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers), Bryce Harper (Washington), Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta) are leading the trend by taking the table setter.
Manager Lee's "busting" is also not bad as a result. Eight of KT's 12 hits (one RBI and one run) in the opening game against Hanwha on the 22nd came from the 1st to 4th batting order. Top hitter Kang Baek-ho hit a double to the left field in the first at-bat of the opening game and scored when No. 4 Kim Min-hyuk made a timely hit. It is also effective in chances that come from the bottom of the batting order, and putting strong psychological pressure on the opponent's mound at the start of the game is a side effect.
Despite the upset loss, Lee gave a positive assessment to the batting order, saying it was not as bad as expected. Lee's batting lineup also exploded in Thursday's game. When the team was losing 0-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lee beat Ryan Weiss, who had blocked three outs and no outs in every inning until the third inning, one to four times.
Leading hitter Kang Baek-ho walked. Then, Rojas and Heo Kyung-min had consecutive doubles. No. 4 Kim Min-hyuk also hit a timely hit to tie the game at 2-2, and he scored an additional point with Moon Sang-chul's sacrifice fly with two outs and a runner on the third base, turning the tables. Four of his team's seven hits came from the top hitters on the day.
Hur's use of batting order as the third hitter is also a "godgeous move." Hur has few experiences as the third hitter since his debut. However, Hur had five hits (one RBI and one run) from 10 times at bat in the opening two games.
Kim Min-hyuk, who was worried that he would lose weight, also performed his role brilliantly as the fourth batter, creating a synergy effect. Kim Min-hyuk had three hits and two RBIs in eight times at bat, and Lee also mentioned the possibility of a built-in fourth batter, saying, "(left-handed batter) Kim Min-hyuk is good at hitting left-handed pitchers' balls."
The "steel" top hitter has got off to a good start. It is an important driving force for KT, which declared its first re-challenge for the championship in four years.