Meginam appeared at second base for KT Muzugong. He showed his presence with his outstanding offense by hitting four hits in his debut.
Lee Ho-yeon started at second base in the sixth spot against the Samsung Lions in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 18.
Lee made a meaningful contribution in the first game of the weekend’s three-game series against Samsung. With the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Lee hit a game-winning single with runners on first and second to seal a 7-6 victory.
After coming off the bench in game two (Sunday), Lee was once again named to the starting lineup for the final game of the weekend’s three-game series.안전놀이터
From her first at-bat, Lee’s bat produced results. With his team trailing 0-1 in the bottom of the second inning, Lee lined a single to right field against Choi Chae-heung to put runners on first and second base. KT capitalized on the opportunity, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 lead. In his second at-bat of the inning, Lee singled to right field to put runners on first and third.
The highlight came in his third at-bat. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with her team trailing 1-5, Choi again found herself with runners on first and second. She hit a two-run triple down the right field line to cut the deficit to 3-5. KT kept the momentum going and added two more runs to tie the game at 5-5.
Even a pitching change couldn’t stop Lee’s hot hitting. In the bottom of the seventh inning, in his fourth at-bat, he took advantage of bullpen pitcher Yang Chang-seop and smashed a single to left field. His final line was 5-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The team lost 5-7, but Lee’s performance stood out.
Lee Ho-yeon (second from left) has been performing well since his transfer to KT. ⓒKT Wiz
Lee Ho-yeon donned the KT jersey in a trade from his hometown team, the Lotte Giants, on March 19. He has since joined the first team and is batting .267 (20-for-75) with one home run and nine RBIs in 23 games. Narrowing it down to his last 10 games, he’s batting .344 (11-for-36) with five RBIs, including a game-winning hit and his first four hits in his debut.
KT ranks dead last in offensive production at second base this year, according to baseball stats site Statiz. They rank ninth in the league in batting average (.229) and RBIs (16), and tied for ninth in OPS (.597+ slugging percentage) with the Hanwha Eagles.
With the aging of their starting second baseman, Park Kyung-soo (39), the backups will need to step up. In fact, Oh Yoon-seok (31), Ryu Hyun-in (23), and Son Min-seok (19) have been challenging for the unclaimed second base job this season. However, none of them have been able to consistently perform and are currently undergoing an adjustment period in the Futures League.
This is where Lee emerged as a strong contender. Lee can play all positions in the infield, but he is primarily a second baseman. This is because the team has a lot of experienced infielders, including Park Byung-ho (37) at first base, Hwang Jae-gyun (36) at third base, and Kim Sang-soo (33) at shortstop. With Lee’s proven hitting ability and consistent defense, he should be able to make KT’s second base his own.
Lee will be able to etch his name on the unclaimed second base, and we look forward to his 2023 season.