Kang Seung-ho, who moved to the team as a free agent compensation player for Choi Joo-hwan (SSG Landers) after the 2020 season, failed to show impressive performance even after changing teams. He fell short of expectations with a batting average of 0.239 with 72 hits in 301 at-bats, 7 home runs, and 37 RBI in 113 games in 2021, followed by a batting average of 0.264 with 117 hits in 444 at-bats, 10 home runs, and 62 RBI in 134 games last year. In the case of his last season, he achieved a career high with 100 hits and double-digit home runs for the first time in his debut, but it was somehow disappointing.
What is surprising is that Kang Seung-ho ranked first in salary evaluation for the 2022 season. The team had to accept such disastrous results that the ranking fell to 9th place, and key players performed poorly and were unable to achieve individual results. In the meantime, Kang Seung-ho, who fought alone, did not see the light of day.
This season was also a series of difficult journeys. Kang Seung-ho, who recorded 23 hits in 84 at-bats, a batting average of 0.274, 1 home run, and 7 RBIs in the month of April, suffered from a severe slump in May with a batting average of 0.100, 2 hits in 20 at-bats, and 2 RBIs in 12 games. Kang Seung-ho, who returned in early June after the cancellation of the first team entry on May 22,메이저사이트 seemed to show signs of a rebound, but was unable to fully pick up the pace. Last month, he struggled again with 14 hits in 73 at-bats, a batting average of 0.192, and 8 RBIs.
Kang Seung-ho has completely changed this month. He has been hitting hard with 14 hits in 33 at-bats, a batting average of .424, 1 home run, and 8 RBIs through 11 games in September. In the past week alone, he has achieved multiple hits three times, and in the game against Gwangju KIA Tigers on the 15th, he recorded the first cycling hit in his life and the 30th cycling hit in KBO League history. Kang Seung-ho this year is the first in KBO League history to have a ‘reverse natural cycling hit’ in the order of home run, triple, double, and hit.
After the 14th game of the season against KIA on the 16th was canceled due to rain, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop said, “It has only been recorded 30 times in 40 years of history. It is amazing,” and added, “I hit a good ball from the first at-bat, and I think it is getting better. . Because he is a capable player, I hope he can hit better starting from the game on the 15th. Yesterday (15th), he did not hide his satisfaction by saying, “I was impressed.”
As the slump at the beginning of the season continued, the head coach was as uneasy as Kang Seung-ho. Coach Lee said, “There were a lot of ups and downs in the beginning. There were many times when I was left out because I couldn’t do my part in attack and defense, and I also went to the second team. In fact, I was first in terms of salary last year, but that wasn’t the picture I had envisioned since the camp. I was doing poorly. Looking back, Kang Seung-ho had a hard time, but the coaching staff also had a hard time deciding the batting order. It was hard for both of us.”
Kang Seung-ho, who was frustrated by the coaching staff, has now become a hitter whom everyone can trust. In the Jamsil SSG Landers game on the 14th, in the bottom of the 9th inning when the team was trailing 0-2 with no outs on 1st and 2nd bases, Lee Yoo-chan came out as a pinch hitter in place of Kim Jae-hwan and bunted, and after Seo Jin-yong’s out, Kang Seung-ho hit a grounder to shortstop at 2nd and 3rd bases with one out. Third base runner Kim Tae-geun came home. Considering his current condition, this means that the team has more faith in Kang Seung-ho than in Kim Jae-hwan, who has produced long hits for several years.
The coaching staff hopes that the current upward trend is not a temporary phenomenon. Coach Lee Seung-yeop said, “I think Kang Seung-ho’s good performance like the game on the 15th led to a victory for our team at an important time for the team at the end of the season.” He added, “If he performs like this in the future, I hope that other players will also give strength in the batting lineup. “I cheered for Kang Seung-ho.
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