Will Kim Hyun-soo survive, the only concern of ‘Excited LG’?

There is no team to stop Shinbaram LG.

At least so far in the 2023 KBO League, it is an undeniable slogan. The LG Twins continued to lead this season with 7 consecutive wins until the 꽁머니사이트 3rd. In the game against Kiwoom Heroes on August 3, which completed a 7-game winning streak with a game-off victory at the end of the 12th inning, the reason why LG ranked first in the regular season this season was all melted.

Kiwoom, who took the lead at the beginning of the game with a two-run home run by Lee Joo-hyung, who moved from LG, was able to win the game throughout the game thanks to starter Hurado’s 7th inning. In a game where the first point is given, most teams will self-destruct if the opponent’s good pitching continues until the 7th inning.

This is because in a game where they are falling behind, since the starting pitcher is down, they have no choice but to appoint a pursuit group with poor pitch and skills. Even so, LG did not allow points in this situation. This is thanks to the abundant pitching depth, which does not distinguish between the Pilseung group and the Pursuit group.

LG tied the score with Park Dong-won’s two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning, trailing 2-4, and finally added victory with Jung Joo-hyun’s finishing infield hit in the 4-4 end of the 12th inning. It was a bout that combined the team’s abundant bullpen resources and the concentration of strong hitters who did not miss opportunities in the game.

※ LG Kim Hyeon-soo’s main batting record (as of 8/4)

However, LG, which continues to run at the forefront of the new wind, also has concerns. This is because Kim Hyeon-soo, the leader of Yasu-jin and the team’s mental support, is in an extreme slump in hitting.

Kim Hyun-soo, who played the role of a central hitter with an OPS of 0.848 and 23 homers and 106 RBIs last year, is only hitting 3 home runs with an OPS of 0.723 this season. Although the KBO league tends to be a pitcher, Kim Hyun-soo is evaluated as a hole in the LG-centered batting line this season.

In fact, LG has many excellent outfielders such as Hong Chang-ki, Moon Seong-joo, and Park Hae-min, and there are many resources that are thirsty for opportunities such as prospect Lee Jae-won. Based on recent records alone, forming a starting lineup without Kim Hyun-soo could increase the chance of victory.

However, it is not possible to organize the starting lineup based on numbers alone. LG Bench judges that the value of Kim Hyeon-soo is currently over 0.723 OPS. This is because Kim Hyun-soo, who plays a central role in the team, needs to recover his sense of hitting in order to achieve the goal of the combined championship that LG desperately wants this season. 

As of the 4th, LG, which widened the gap with 2nd place SSG Landers by 4.5 games, is evaluated to have crossed the 8th division line to go directly to the Korean Series. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Hyeon-soo, who held the key to a rebound by launching a home run gun in the game against Samsung on the 4th, will be able to regain his past skills, which were called hitting machines, and help LG run at the top.