"If you hit a home run you should be happy. He looked like he was going to cry"
Lee Jae-won of pro baseball's LG Twins hit a thunderous home run in his first at-bat back in the first team and led the team to victory. Youm Kyoung-youb praised him, saying "Lee Jae-won put in a game," and mentioned Lee Jae-won's mentality.
Lee Jae-won started in left field batting ninth in the game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium on the 6th and hit a two-run homer to left in the second inning with one out and a runner on first. The ball speed was a whopping 184.2km, and the launch angle (20.2 degrees) was low, but it became a 131m long home run. That day Lee Jae-won, who was called up from the second team, went 4 for 4 with 2 hits (1 home run, 1 double) and 2 RBIs.
Youm Kyoung-youb said at Jamsil Stadium on the 7th with a laugh, "Yesterday Jaewon put in a game," and said, "I hope Jaewon gained confidence from yesterday's home run."
For the time being he will be placed in the eighth or ninth spot. Youm said, "He will be in the lower part of the lineup, eighth or ninth. It would be nice if he hit cleanup, but in my experience that puts pressure on him; he is not that mentally strong. Even after the home run yesterday he looked like he was going to cry."
He added, "His mentality is weak. He should be happy. He should be so happy that he gets excited. That shows competitive spirit. If he tries to cry there, it means he has been through mental hardship. Tears mean he has been through mental hardship."
After the season opener Lee Jae-won mainly appeared as a pinch hitter and struggled with 1 hit in 16 at-bats, batting .063. He was sent down to the second team in mid-April and was called up to the first team to fill the gap left by Moon Bo-gyeong's injury.
Lee Jae-won also made a great defensive play in the third inning, making a sliding catch on a would-be hit with one out and runners on first and second. Youm said, "Defensively, Jaewon is a bit better than Chan-ui."
If Song Chan-ui and Lee Jae-won both play well, how will positions be sorted out? Youm said, "I don't make players compete against each other. If both do well, the players can rotate, resting and playing in turn."
Meanwhile, Chirinos, who recovered from an elbow injury, will start as the starting pitcher in the Daejeon game against Hanwha on the 9th. Chirinos threw bullpen pitching on the 6th. Youm said, "It was good. He will start on Saturday. He is expected to throw about 80 pitches."
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