Samsung's extreme home run baseball, which is why Kim Ji-chan stands out more

May 22, 2025

Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 20th. Kim Ji-chan, with one out, is cheering after hitting an RBI timely hit in the top of the 11th inning. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.20/

Only Samsung's batting and Kim Ji-chan stand out when they leave the house.

The Samsung Lions had been losing seven consecutive away games before winning two consecutive away games against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 20th and 21st.

There were two variables. One was Kiwoom, whose opponent was losing his battle at the bottom. And another is that Kim Ji-chan, who returned from a hamstring injury, joined the leadoff.

Description of the first variable. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a game that won Kiwoom. He barely won the first game on the 20th after 11 extra innings. Kiwoom had many chances to win, but lacked strength. Of course, the absolute comparison may be meaningless, but if it was a match against other top teams, it was a performance that Samsung could win. The same goes for the game on the 21st. I struggled with Ha Young-min, the opponent's starter. In the second half of the game, he hit a weak bullpen and scored a wedge.

Description of the second variable. With and without Kim Ji-chan, Samsung's batting power completely changes. Kim Ji-chan had two consecutive multi-hit games. On the 21st, he added a walk and scored three runs on the third base. On the 20th, he was also the winner of the 11th playoff. It really showed that this is what 'leadoff' is like.

In any team, there is a first hitter who is good at getting on base. But why is Kim Ji-chan more important to Samsung baseball. There is a clear reason.

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Samsung's home and away performances this season are clearly divided. It was the seventh consecutive away game before coming to Gocheok Dome. As of the 21st, Home ranks third in the league with 16 wins and 12 losses and a 5701 winning rate, while Away ranks 359th with 7 wins, 1 draw and 13 losses. This seven wins is also the result of adding two wins at Gocheok. Until then, it was more harrowing.

His batting performance is the same. Samsung ranks first in home runs in the league. 56 home runs. 45 home runs in Daegu Samsung Lions Park. On the other hand, there are 11 away games. They are tied for last place in away home runs with KT Wiz. The team's batting average is also .27, ranking first in the league at home with 294 and 236 in away games, showing stark differences in joy and sorrow.

Samsung's home stadium 'Rapak' is a stadium that is too advantageous for batters beyond batter-friendly. The outfield has a hexagonal structure, and the distance between the left and right fences is too short, so home runs come out well. Samsung carried out a team rebuilding that fits its home stadium. They selected and gave chances to long-range infielders such as Kim Young-woong and Lee Jae-hyun.

Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 20th. Kim Young-woong is cheering after hitting a come-from-behind solo shot in the top of the ninth inning. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.20/

However, the side effects of this extreme home run baseball appear. It's extreme at home, but you can't use your strength when you go on an away trip. Is the players getting nervous because long balls are not coming out well on the road. In fact, Kim Young-woong has six home runs and one away home run this season. This one home run was also recorded at Gocheok Dome on the 20th. He has a batting average of 287 at home and 2.11 on the road. Lee Jae-hyun also has a very big difference with a home batting average of 264 and an away batting average of 184. The number of home runs is also four to one.

At least, Kim Ji-chan needs to survive in the leadoff position and create a chance to create a texture in Home Run Baseball. At home, they win if they get a home run, but if they don't get a home run on the road, the game gets twisted. Still, Kim Ji-chan is stirring around, so there are more chances to score. Coach Park Jin-man also deployed Koo Ja-wook, who does not care about home-away, at No. 1 after Kim Ji-chan's hamstring injury, but Koo Ja-wook had to face a new concern that the central lineup would become loose even if he did well. However, when Kim Ji-chan returned, the blocked blood was pierced.

There are 21 games played by Kim Ji-chan this season, and Samsung has won 15 of them. In addition, Kim Ji-chan is playing evenly regardless of home-away with a batting average of 378 in 12 home games and a batting average of 333 in 9 away games. There is no home run because it is a single-hitter type. Therefore, they may perform consistently regardless of home and away.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.