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| Hanwha Son Ah-seop and LG Austin. Sports Chosun DB |
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| The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 1st. Son Ah-seop, who joined Hanwha through a trade, is preparing for training. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.01/ |
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| The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 1st. Hanwha Son Ah-seop is watching the game. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.01/ |
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This week's big match is the first- and second-place match between Hanwha Eagles and LG Twins in Jamsil on the weekend, and all baseball fans are bound to pay attention to the showdown between the two teams, which are fiercely competing for first place and second place enough to be called the "Preview Korean Series".
The team that sweeps gets the opportunity to take the lead in the first place, and the team that loses the sweep is bound to be shocked.
Coincidentally, both are with 'Cheongunmanma'
Hanwha's addition to Son Ah-seop, who was acquired through a trade, is expected to be a big plus factor.
He became the batting king with 339 percent in 2023, and the most hit king took the title four times, starting in 2012, in 2013, and in 2023. He has the highest number of hits ever with 2,583 hits so far.
Son Ah-seop, who is considered the best hitting machine in the KBO league with a career batting average of 320%, played in 76 games for NC this season, with a batting average of .300 (72 hits in 240 at-bats), 33 RBIs and 21 points.
Many said Hanwha's mound was strong, but its batters were weak. Hanwha, which ranks first with a team ERA of 3.41, remains fourth with a team batting average of 261. The score per game is only 6th with 4.6 points. Hanwha's ups and downs needed a batter who could hit consistently, and Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon is planning a lineup that uses Son Ah-seop as a top hitter.
For Son Ah-seop, who joined the team in 2007 and has not won the Korean Series in 18 years until last year, moving to Hanwha, which has a chance of winning, can be a great motivation. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop was also wary, saying, `For Hanwha, it will definitely become a plus alpha.'
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| A game between the Lotte Giants and the LG Twins at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 1st. LG Austin is cheering after hitting a two-run shot with one out and second base in the top of the third inning. Busan = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.01/ |
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| A game between the LG Twins and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th. LG Austin is striking out. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.28/ |
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| A game between the LG Twins and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th. LG first baseman Austin is riding on the fence to handle a KIA Wizdom hit with two outs in the top of the first inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.28/ |
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LG also has a reliever. Austin Dean, a foreign hitter who was injured, will return. Austin, who had not played for nearly a month after the Busan Lotte match on July 1, had one hit in four at-bats in his first game against SSG in Icheon on the 2nd. The game was canceled due to rain on the 3rd, but there is no problem playing as a first-team call-up this week. After preheating in the match against Doosan during the week, I hope you will play the role of a central hitter in the match against Hanwha on the weekend.
Austin batted .272 (72 for 265) with 20 homers, 55 RBIs and 52 runs scored in 75 games before the injury. At that time, he led LG's batting by ranking second in home runs, fourth in RBIs, fourth in runs scored, and third in slugging percentage (0.543). As of a month later, the RBI has fallen to 15th place, but the home run is still tied for third place.
Son Ah-seop should create a chance at the center batting line with a lot of on-base hits, and Austin should solve it at the chance as a center hitter. In the Hanwha-LG match, Son Ah-seop and Austin, who returned as the `new face,' will definitely be spotlighted, and their performance is likely to be divided.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
