What would the LG Twins have been without Kim Min-sung? The utility player who became the team’s No. 1 hitter with a grand slam.
Kim started at second base in the ninth inning of an away game against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Nov. 23 and hit a come-from-behind grand slam with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to lead the team to a 9-1 victory. With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning and trailing 0-1, Kim Min-seong hit a thunderous blast after No. 8 Lee Jae-won tied the game at 1-1 with a bases-loaded single.
Facing SSG starter Oh Won-seok, Kim looked for a first-pitch fastball and swung at a changeup that fell outside the zone on the second pitch. The unfavorable count of 2S led to a big home run. A changeup from Oh Won-seok was dropped low and outside, and Kim lined it over the left field fence.
Kim also hit a walk-off home run in Incheon against SSG on September 25 last year. With the score tied at 2-2 in the top of the 10th inning of extra innings, he hit a two-run shot over the left field fence off Kim Taek-hyung.
Led by Kim’s performance, LG won the first game of the ‘Preview Korea Series’ 9-1 and took sole possession of the lead.
Kim Min-sung, the starting third baseman, lost his position to rookie Moon Bo-kyung last year. It was due to his poor hitting. This season, he’s been a utility player, covering every position in the infield. And here’s where it hit the jackpot: Kim Min-sung, who has always been a solid defender at any position, is now hitting like Altoran for the first time in a long time. After making a surprise appearance at shortstop when Oh Ji-hwan was sidelined with an injury, Kim has recently found his place at second base, where Seo Geon-chang has been struggling.
Kim is batting .259 (29-for-112) with two home runs and 21 RBIs. He is tied for third on the team in RBIs with Kim Hyun-soo, Park Hae-min and Moon Bo-kyung, behind Austin Dean (32) and Park Dong-won (29).
LG has a sub-par batting lineup with Park Dong-won and Lee Jae-won. We should probably add Kim Min-sung to that list.
“It was an unfavorable count of 2S,” Kim said of the home run after the game. I thought it was going to be a slider or an outside changeup, but I abandoned the slider and prepared for the changeup.” “The opposing pitcher threw a really good pitch, and I was lucky to get it, so it became a home run. After I hit it, I thought it was going to be a home run.”메이저놀이터
He said he is “happy” to be playing in the leadoff spot lately. Kim said, “It’s the best situation for a player to get a lot of at-bats on the field,” but added, “I can’t be greedy. I’ve been preparing (to be a backup) since camp, but now I’m playing as a starter unintentionally. I don’t know what will happen in the middle and late season. I will do my best to prepare according to the situation.”
Kim will be eligible for free agency for the second time after this season. The veteran outfielder’s stock will rise as he plays solid defense at every position in the infield and has a bat that can’t be ignored.