Kim Dong-hyun, a second-year power prospect for the Lotte Giants in professional baseball, hit his first career home run.
Kim Dong-hyun started as the No. 7 designated hitter in the game against the LG Twins held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 27th.
Batting leadoff in the bottom of the second with Lotte leading 2-1, he turned on a two-seam fastball (144 km/h) on the second pitch after a 2-0 count from LG starter Chirinos and pulled it over the left-center fence for a solo home run. Exit velocity 169.4 km/h, distance 125 m.
Selected by Lotte with the 54th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 rookie draft, Kim Dong-hyun posted a .301 batting average with 11 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .925 OPS in 75 games in the Futures League last year.
Kim Dong-hyun hit .308 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in the Futures League this year. He made his first-team debut on Apr. 19 against Hanwha and was called back up to the first team on the 23rd. He hit two doubles and drove in two runs in the game against Samsung on the 23rd. Before that game he was 2 for 12, batting .167.
Manager Kim Tae-hyoung said before the game about Kim Dong-hyun, "He's not weak to breaking balls. His timing is fine. Even when he swings and misses, it's a miss that matches the timing. We should watch him for about five games." He finally hit his first home run. <
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