"Diving catches were more thrilling than home runs."
LG Twins' Moon Bo-kyung hit home runs in two consecutive games during the opening series. On the 23rd, he launched a two-run homer in the first inning against the Lotte Giants in the second game of the opening series held at Jamsil Stadium.
Moon entered the batter's box with two outs and a runner on first, and advanced the runner to second base on a wild pitch on the third pitch. He hit a two-run homer that traveled over the right wall on the fifth pitch against Lotte's starter Park Se-woong, with a count of 3 balls and 1 strike. The batted ball had an angle of 37.5 degrees and traced a very large parabola. The speed of the ball was 169.9 km/h, and it became a home run traveling 112.1 m.
In the opening game, Moon hit the first home run of the 2025 season in the first inning against Lotte's Barnes. With a ball speed of 169.8 km/h, an angle of 25.7 degrees, and a distance of 128.2 m, he became the first home run hitter of the season. Moon had 4 hits in 8 at-bats, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in two games, leading the team to two consecutive victories.
After hitting a two-run homer in the first inning for two consecutive days, Moon said, "Hitting a home run is good, but it feels great that the team won. I felt good starting from the first inning. It's definitely good to hit right from the first at-bat."
Moon became the first player to hit a home run in the 2025 KBO League season with his two-run homer in the first inning of the opening game. After hitting home runs on two consecutive days, he mentioned, "Yesterday I thought it was a fastball and hit a slider, but today I didn’t think it was a curveball, I thought about changing pitches a bit while hitting."
In the 8th inning, with the score at 5-1 and two outs, Moon made a diving catch of a well-hit ball by Son Ho-young, earning applause from LG fans. It was a decisive defensive play at a critical moment. Son Ho-young was so frustrated he grabbed his helmet with both hands.
When asked which was more thrilling between the home run and the diving catch, Moon replied, "Thinking about the team, diving catches are more important. If that had slipped through, it would have been difficult. If the score had been 5-3, it would have been just the beginning, and if it had really gone fast on the left line, it could have turned into 5-4, making it a bit harder."
Pitcher Kim Jin-seong, along with shortstop Oh Ji-hwan and first baseman Austin, marveled at Moon's defensive play during the substitution.
After finishing the opening game the previous day, he expressed his thoughts on the home run, noting, "I focused more on defense than on offense during the offseason. My goal this season is to become a more reliable player." He immediately showcased a diving catch that erased a bases-loaded threat in the second game. When Moon brought up his thoughts from the previous day, he said, "Fortunately," adding, "I think this will definitely rank among the top 10 defensive plays so far."
LG's defense, both infield and outfield, can be considered top-class in the league. When asked if they conduct a lot of defensive training, Moon replied, "It’s not that we trained a lot, but it seems that individuals are now focusing more and considering it important. I think all our players feel this way. A team with good defense seems likely to be among the top ranks, and if defensive errors occur, it makes it difficult for the pitchers and the whole team, so we consider defense more important."
Since taking on the role of the cleanup hitter in July of last year, Moon achieved a batting average of .300 with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. When asked about his goals for this year, Moon said, "I don’t really have personal goals. My goal is to participate in all 144 games like last year. If I don’t get hurt, I can play all the games, and as I play, I think the results will follow naturally."
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