‘Like Kim Sung-wook’s pinch-hit home run

The NC Dinos defeated the SSG Landers 4-3 in the first round of the semi-finals on April 22. One of the key contributors to the victory was pinch-hitter Kim Sung-wook. In the top of the eighth inning, when the score was 0-0, he came in as a pinch hitter and hit a grand slam to left field off Roenis Elias. It showed the power of a pinch-hitter who can hit a home run.

The LG Twins, who won the regular season and advanced directly to the Korean Series, will need a pinch-hitter, and LG manager Yeom Kyung-yup announced one early on. Kim Bum-seok (19), a high school rookie drafted in the first round.

After wrapping up the season on Nov. 15, LG had three days of rest before gathering at LG Champions Park in Icheon on Nov. 19 to begin training camp for the Korean Series. Son Ju-young, Son Ho-young, Lee Jae-won, Kim Bum-seok and others will join the team after playing in the training league.

Yoon revealed that he plans to use three catchers for the Korean Series. It was expected that the team would go with two catchers, Park Dong-won and veteran Heo Do-hwan, but it was surprising to hear that it would be three. We thought this would include Kim Ki-yeon, the team’s third catcher, but Yeom said that Kim Bum-seok will be the third catcher.

Kim Bum-seok is a prospect who is known as a ‘proper noun’ by baseball fans. In last year’s rookie draft, LG President Cha Myung-seok made a memorable comment when selecting Kim in the first round, “I think the proper noun Kim Bum-seok will become synonymous with Korean baseball.”

However, Kim is currently unable to play catcher. He has a bad shoulder. Even in the Futures League this season, he hasn’t played catcher at all, mostly batting as a designated hitter. Even when he was called up to the first team at the end of the season, he played first base, not catcher. In 58 games in the Futures League, he batted 2-for-8 with 56 hits, six home runs, 31 RBIs, and a .789 OPS. In the first team, he appeared in 10 games, batting 1-for-1 with three doubles, one home run and one RBI in 27 at-bats. He showed a glimpse of his potential when he hit his first career home run against the Lotte Giants in Jamsil on April 9.

LG is a team with a lot of depth, so they have some wiggle room on their 30-man roster. There’s a good chance that some of those 30 players won’t see the field in the Korean Series. Yeom sees about three of the 30 roster spots as places to gain experience. One of them is Kim Bum-seok.

“I don’t think Kim Bum-seok will be playing catcher,” Yeom said succinctly. “The chances of him playing are actually low. If he does, it’s more likely to be as a pinch-hitter in a close game.

Still, it’s nice to see a high school rookie make the Korean Series roster. In addition to Kim, LG 먹튀검증 will also send third-round pick Park Myung-geun to the Korean Series. Park stayed with the first team all season, serving as a middle reliever. In 57 appearances, he posted a 4-3 record with five saves and nine holds, and a 5.08 ERA.