‘Good trade’ New pot belly, 4-hit personal best…but against his own team.
It looks like SSG Landers made a good trade. It’s been a while, but Kang Jin-sung’s strong performance has energized the team.
SSG won the seventh game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank KBO SOL Doosan Bears 5-2 on April 22 at Jamsil Stadium.
Kim Kang-min (right fielder), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Choi Jung (designated hitter), Eredia (left fielder), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Kang Jin-sung (first baseman), Choi Jun-woo (second baseman), Lee Jae-won (catcher), and Kim Chan-hyung (third baseman) were in the batting order.
Kang Jin-seong was the star of the show. He warmed up his bat with a single up the middle in his first at-bat of the second inning and completed his multi-hit performance with a single to right in his second at-bat of the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, the teams were tied at 2-2. Park Sung-hyun hit an off-balance single, and Kang Jin-sung followed with a two-run double down the right field line with runners on first and second.
SSG ended the game with a three-run lead without scoring another run after Kang’s RBI, making his hit invaluable. Kang Jin-sung led off the eighth inning with a single to left.
It was his most hits in a single game since his professional debut. The previous record was three hits, which he achieved on June 10, 2021, when he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs against the Jamsil LG.
In the ninth inning, Kang drew a walk with runners on second and third, making it a “five-strikeout” game. This is also a new record. The previous record was set on May 31, 2020, when he went 4-for-3 with a home run and a walk against Daegu Samsung Electronics.
After the game, Kang Jin-sung said, “I wasn’t thinking about the record for the most hits in a game. I just wanted to contribute to the team in some way because I started for the first time in a long time, and I think I was a little more focused because the opponent was Doosan.”
SSG made a one-for-one trade with Doosan on May 25. In exchange for pitcher Kim Jung-woo, the team received Kang Jin-sung. With the addition of Kang, SSG strengthened its “right-handed lineup,” which was relatively weak.
“I felt balanced when I got a hit in my first at-bat, so I thought I should go with that feeling,” said Kang. “I had a tough time at Doosan, but I feel like I’ve gotten stronger inside. And I was more focused today,” he reflected.메이저놀이터
After being named to the NC, Kang entered the professional ranks and moved to Doosan as a free agent compensation player in 2022. At Doosan, he didn’t have much success, batting 1-for-6 in 40 games for the first team. However, he has regained his form in an SSG uniform.
In 2020, he batted 3-for-9 with 12 home runs and 70 RBIs in 121 games for the NC. “I feel like I’m actually playing baseball with this flavor,” Kang said, “The time I spent coming to SSG from Dusan was a turning point in my life. I want to do it without regrets.”