Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Ju-hyung hit a dramatic come-from-behind home run against Lotte Giants’ Han Hyun-hee.
Lee Ju-hyung started in center field in the No. 7 spot against the Lotte Giants in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on April 18, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, one run scored, and one walk.
Lee, who had been consistently good at the top of the order, had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the eighth inning with Kiwoom trailing 2-4. Song Sung-moon singled and Joo Sung-won walked to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Lee stepped to the plate and took a 147-kilometer-per-hour fastball from Lotte reliever Han Hyun-hee over the right field fence for a three-run home run. It was his third home run of the season. The distance was 105 meters.
After Lee’s dramatic comeback, Kiwoom snapped a two-game losing streak as reliever Lim Chang-min protected a 5-4 lead.
Coincidentally, both Lee Ju-hyung and Han Hyun-hee, who hit the home run, have changed teams this year. Lee was one of three prospects (Lee, Kim Dong-gyu, and a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft) that Kiwoom acquired after trading starter Choi Won-tae to LG. Since arriving in Kiwoom, he has excelled and is showing signs of reaching his full potential.
Han Hyun-hee, who played for Kiwoom until last year, became a free agent after the end of last season and signed a four-year, 4 billion won contract with Lotte. However, he hasn’t performed as well as expected, bouncing between the starting rotation and the bullpen, and in this game, he took the mound for the eighth inning to replace Koo Seung-min, who was on a three-game losing streak, and gave up a devastating home run.
Kiwoom has parted ways with a number of players since last winter. They let Han Hyun-hee go in free agency, and in the trade market, they released Choi Won-tae, who is also nearing free agency. However, younger players such as the newly acquired Lee Ju-hyung have raised hopes for the future. 파워볼사이트