Although he suffered a major injury that fractured his nasal bone, he showed a determined look, saying, “If I was worried about getting hurt again, I shouldn’t have played baseball.” And as soon as he returned, the main character immediately hit a home run. It is Lee Ho-yeon (28, KT Wiz), an infielder who joined the magician army through a recent trade.메이저놀이터
Lee Ho-yeon, who graduated from Gwangju Suchang Elementary School – Jinheung Middle School – Gwangju Jeil High School – Sungkyunkwan University, joined the Lotte Giants in the 53rd overall in the 2nd 6th round in 2018. His signing contract is 60 million won. Debuting on the first team stage in 2020, he participated in a total of 96 games during his 5 seasons with Lotte, marking a batting average of 0.241, 2 homers and 17 RBIs.
It was on May 19th that a big change came to him. At that time, Lotte and KT traded lefties Shim Jae-min (29) and Lee Ho-yeon through a 1:1 trade. At the time, KT general manager Nah Na-hyeon said, “Lee Ho-yeon, who has experience in the first team, is an infield resource recognized for his batting ability by ranking high in key batting indicators such as batting average and on-base percentage in the Futures League this season. We are expecting a synergy effect through competition with other players,” he explained the background of the recruitment.
After moving to KT, Lee Ho-yeon received the opportunity to play straight away from the 20th, the day after the trade announcement. In May, Lee Ho-yeon recorded a batting average of 0.172 in 10 games. He continued to perform consistently as a second baseman in June. However, on June 21, he suffered a serious injury during a match against his home team, Lotte. He was hit in the face by a ball he had hit and broke his nose. In the end, June ended with his monthly batting average of 0.354.
Still, Lee Ho-yeon focused on rehabilitation without undergoing surgery and aimed to return to the first team. He, who was in the rehabilitation group, returned from the KIA and Futures League match held in Iksan, Jeonbuk on the 8th and swung a bat with 3 hits in 3 at-bats. In the end, on the 9th, the next day, he was called by KT coach Lee Kang-cheol and put his name on the first team entry. He went up to Suwon from Iksan, Jeollabuk-do. In an interview with reporters at Wiz Park, he said, “I wanted to come back quickly. I came with a heart full of excitement. I was scared at first, but I thought I would have surgery if I got hit again anyway, so I got better. If I was worried about getting hurt, I wouldn’t have played baseball.” Even if it does, I think it’s my luck. I think I’ll have to leave it up to the heavens. It was a word that could feel his strong spirit.
Lee Ho-yeon, who made a comeback like an iron man, immediately started as a second baseman and made a perfect performance by hitting a home run. It was also a home run against Mario Sanchez, the new foreign pitcher of the KIA Tigers, who made his debut in the sensational KBO league at the time. In the bottom of the 5th inning against Sanchez, he hit the 4th fastball on the ball count 1-2 and drew a solo arch that went over the right fence. Lee Ho-yeon’s second home run this season. At that time, he gave Sanchez the only run, who struck out 10 in 6⅓ innings. If the KIA hadn’t won the game, it was Lee Ho-yeon who could have been counted as the best player of the day.
Even after that, Lee Ho-yeon continues to boast of a good hitting feel. In the match against Kiwoom on the 11th, he was 1 hit in 3 at-bats, 1 RBI and 1 point, and in the match against Kiwoom on the 12th, he played an active role with 2 hits in 4 at bats. His batting average for 4 games in July was 0.364. Now, after the All-Star break, KT will play three weekend games against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. KT, who has played 80 games this season, has recorded 37 wins, 2 draws and 41 losses, and is in 7th place in the league. 5th place Lotte and riding are 1.5 games, 4th place NC and riding are 2.5 games, and entry into the round of 5 is visible. Will Lee Ho-yeon really be able to give KT a big boost in joining the top 5? KT fans’ expectations are rising.