희비가 교차한 코리안 빅리거의 밤: 이정후의 신기록과 송성문의 고군분투 > K-wave Trends

‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jeong-hoo’s sprint is now going beyond the realm of records and reaching the ranks of legends. Jeong-hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants recorded a stellar performance of 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats in the game against the Washington Nationals, setting a record of 17 consecutive hitting games. This is a feat that instantly broke the record of 16 consecutive games by a Korean hitter, previously held by Choo Shin-soo and Kim Ha-seong. In particular, beyond simply producing hits, he showed off his instincts as a problem solver by hitting a crucial, timely double in the bottom of the 5th inning when the team was down 0-3. Currently, his season batting average has risen to 0.335 and he is firmly maintaining the second place in the entire major league batting average, establishing himself as the league's top hitter in name and reality.

On the other hand, for Song Seong-moon of the San Diego Padres, it was a painful night that he would like to forget, but must go through in order to grow. Song Seong-moon, who returned to the starting lineup after three days, played as the ninth hitter and shortstop against the Cincinnati Reds and recorded 1 hit in 5 at-bats. Song Seong-moon's appearance at the beginning of the game was somewhat heavy. Despite appearing as the leadoff hitter in three consecutive at-bats in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th innings, he retired with a missed swing and strikeout, showing that he was unable to find his batting rhythm. In a situation where the team was tied 2-2, Song Seong-moon's early slump became a factor that interrupted the flow of the team's batting line, and this was not unrelated to San Diego's lack of offensive power that continued until the second half of the game.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, when the pendulum was almost tipped, Song Seong-moon had a chance to prove his worth once again. With one out and no runner on base, he hit a 96 mph fastball and produced a pitcher's infield hit, which became the fuse that opened San Diego's walk-off opportunity. Afterwards, his teammates hit consecutive hits and even had the bases loaded, but Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets, the trusted main hitters, struck out in succession, throwing away a golden opportunity to score. The fact that Song Seong-moon's opportunity for a turnaround did not lead to the team's victory was a painful result for him and the team, and it became a decisive turning point heading into overtime.

The game went into overtime and ended in a brutal ending for San Diego. They tied the score in the bottom of the 10th inning and pursued a tenacious chase, but Japanese pitcher Yuki Matsui allowed a 2-run home run to Sal Stewart in the top of the 11th inning, giving Cincinnati the win. Song Seong-moon, who entered the final at-bat, was also unable to prevent the team from losing 3-5 as he was retired by a fly ball from first base. Meanwhile, on the same day, Ha-seong Kim was absent from his team's game against the White Sox and had to sit on the bench. Ha-Seong Kim's recent repeated appearances and absences proves the fierce competition in San Diego's infield and the changing team tactics, confirming once again that a spot in the Major League is not easy for Korean players.

Through this game, we were able to see the stark temperature difference that Korean players experience on the huge stage called Major League Baseball. Lee Jeong-hoo is proving through numbers that he perfectly understands his batting mechanism and has perfectly adapted to the league, while Song Seong-moon has a clear task of strengthening his position in the team by complementing his fluctuating performance. It is a cruel field where each player's survival is directly related to his or her role within the team and concentration in the game, rather than simply the difference in one hit. We saw the possibility of a rebound in Song Seong-moon, who overcame a slump and produced a decisive hit in the 9th inning, and we got a glimpse of the future of Korean baseball in Lee Jeong-hoo, who rewrote history based on consistency.