In a rapidly spiraling season for the Kiwoom Heroes, the play of their new outfielder, Lee Ju-hyoung, has been one of very few bright spots this summer.
Lee, 22, joined the Heroes in a trade from the LG Twins on July 29. He hit a triple in his very first game for the new team on the same day. And in six games so far this month, Lee has batted .409 (9-for-22) with two home runs, two doubles and five RBIs.
Given regular playing time that he never had with the Twins, Lee is finally living up to his potential.
He has batted mostly sixth or fifth in the lineup since the trade but moved up to the leadoff spot for Tuesday's game against the Lotte Giants.
In a pregame media scrum Tuesday, Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said he is pleased to see the youngster making the most of his opportunity.
"He's swinging the hottest bat for us now, and I wanted to give him some extra at-bats at the top of the order," Hong said of his decision to put Lee in the leadoff spot. "I'd only heard a few words about him before the trade, and I can now see for myself that he's a really talented player."
Hong said the key for Lee is to learn how to play with more consistency, because he has never been a full-time player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Lee only appeared in 14 games for the Twins in 2021 and none in the last couple of seasons before joining the Heroes this summer.
"With experience, he will learn how to take care of his body for the long haul," Hong said. "It's important for him to pounce on this opportunity when he has it. This can really be a turning point for his career. And you can say this about all professional athletes. Opportunities aren't just given to them. They have to earn them."
The Heroes were the runners-up to the SSG Landers in last year's Korean Series and were considered a playoff contender again for this season. However, they have been hanging around the bottom half of the 10-team league for most of this season. With their starting center fielder and reigning league MVP out at least another two months with an ankle injury, the Heroes are trying to avoid finishing in last place.
They staggered into the new week on an eight-game losing skid and had an overall record of 41-57-3 (wins-losses-ties), only 0.003 ahead of the Samsung Lions in the winning percentage for last place. In the 13 games since Lee was ruled out, the Heroes have gone 2-10-1.
"It's on me as manager to prepare the team for any type of absence. If the team crumbles just because one player is sidelined, then it's my fault," Hong said. "If we were to become a better team, then we should be able to handle injury situations better."
Source: Yonhap News Agency