Kiwoom Heroes player Lee Joo-hyung (24) has taken the lead in home runs after hitting his third home run of the exhibition games.
On the 15th, Lee Joo-hyung started as the third center fielder in a game against the Doosan Bears held at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome during the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League,' recording 1 hit, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 run in 2 at-bats.
In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning with 2 outs against Doosan's right-handed starter Kim Yoo-sung, Lee Joo-hyung hit a fly ball to center field. In the third inning, with 2 outs and a runner on second base, he hit a two-run home run that cleared the center field wall off Kim Yoo-sung's slider, which was clocked at 136 km/h. It was a massive home run with a distance of 130 meters. With this home run, he achieved home runs in his first three games, a first in his debut. Lee Joo-hyung was substituted for defensive replacement Lee Hyung-jong in the top of the fifth inning, concluding his day. Thanks to Lee Joo-hyung's performance, Kiwoom secured a 3-2 victory.
Lee Joo-hyung, who joined LG through the second round of the 2020 rookie draft (13th pick), wore a Kiwoom uniform through a trade in 2023. He has played in 198 KBO league games with a batting average of .281 (704 at-bats, 198 hits), 19 home runs, 96 RBIs, 117 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases, with an OPS of .789. Last year, he challenged for his first full-time season with a batting average of .266 (473 at-bats, 126 hits), 13 home runs, 60 RBIs, 82 runs scored, 6 stolen bases, and an OPS of .754 over 115 games. While the performance was not bad, it was also disappointing considering the expectations placed on Lee Joo-hyung.
Expected to fill the void left by Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) who moved to Major League Baseball last season, Lee Joo-hyung is determined to bounce back and has been training with Lee Jung-hoo this winter, obtaining advice. He is showcasing peak hitting form by hitting home runs in three consecutive games for the first time since turning professional in the exhibition games. His exhibition game stats show a batting average of .375 over 6 games (16 at-bats, 6 hits), with 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, 4 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.412.
After the game, Lee Joo-hyung said in an interview, "It's my first game at Gocheok, and I'm really glad I could play well in front of the fans. I think the recent practice has been coming together in the game, so I'm feeling positive about it. When practicing, I've been focusing a lot on hitting from center field to left field, and since I'm getting good results in the game, it gives me confidence that my practice was effective."
Although it's only an exhibition game, Lee Joo-hyung, who hit home runs in three consecutive games for the first time in his professional debut, noted, "I have occasionally hit home runs in two consecutive games, but never in three consecutive games. When I'm in good form, things come together like this, but when I'm not, it can go downhill for me. This year, my goal is to reduce that inconsistency. I think I need to solidify my routine."
Lee Joo-hyung has quickly risen to the top of the exhibition home run leaderboard. He expressed concern, saying, "The cycle is rising too quickly, which worries me somewhat," but added, "Since it's an exhibition game, I don't place too much significance on it. I haven't seen many players who hit well in exhibition games perform well in the regular season," noting that he thinks differently for each player and is choosing to view it positively.
Regarding his recent hitting form, Lee Joo-hyung stated, "The ball doesn't look as big as a watermelon, but I do feel like the ball is slightly stagnant. I definitely think that confidence and mentality are crucial in baseball. When things are going well, I gain confidence, which allows me to be relaxed at the plate. When things aren't going well, I lose that confidence, so I believe maintaining composure is the best approach."
Lee Joo-hyung, who trained with Lee Jung-hoo during the winter and received advice before entering the exhibition games, explained, "It seemed a bit unfortunate that my hitting coach was trying to help me overcome my continuous shortcomings. Since my strength is good rotational power, he advised me to focus more on that. What Lee Jung-hoo mentioned was similar, suggesting I put weight on my left back heel while practicing, which would engage my hips more and enhance my rotation. I had forgotten about that, but after listening to Jung-hoo, I started thinking about it again, and it seems I have improved my hitting form."
Lee Joo-hyung, who is challenging for his second full-time season with a healthy body this year, expressed, "It's great that I'm not facing any injuries, allowing me to train fully and play at full power this season," committing to strong performances this season.
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