LG Twins slugger Hong Chang-ki, 29, is heating up as the season winds down.
On Saturday, he went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored in a 10-4 win over the SSG Landers at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
In the first inning, he stole his 20th base of the season after reaching base on a leadoff walk, and in the fifth inning, he singled with two outs to bring home Park Hae-min.
And in the sixth inning, when the score was 3-4, he hit a two-run game-winning single.
After the game, Hong said, “I go in thinking that if I get a chance, I’ll take it. They gave me a lot of opportunities in the seventh, eighth, and ninth spots in the batting order.”
After a brief lull at the end of last month, Hong has been on fire in September, batting .478.
With this game, his season batting average rose to 0.340 and he reclaimed the top spot in the league from Son Ah-seop (NC Dinos, 0.339).
“I’m not really thinking about the batting title, but I don’t know what will happen until the end, so I’ll try my best,” Hong said.
“When I met Park Yong-taek, he jokingly said, ‘Do it while you can.’ That’s what I need to do. That’s what I need to do well,” he added.
Currently, Hong leads the league in three offensive categories: batting average, runs scored (99), and on-base percentage (.454).
While she may not win the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, she’s certainly in the running.
“I don’t think about it at all because (Noh) is hitting really well and (Eric) Pedi is pitching really well,” Hong said. The home runs, RBIs, and starting pitching have a big impact,” he said.
“If I get to 200 hits (in a season), then we’ll be able to compare,” he said.
With the win, league leader LG extended its lead over second-place KT Wiz to six games and advanced toward a direct ticket to the Korean Series.
“The team atmosphere is really good,” Hong said. The older guys are doing a great job. The juniors just need to follow suit,” he said. 안전놀이터