"You can do it, the coach believes in you," he said, so he was a master, and he had no hits in 13 at-bats…Hanwha's No. 1 unconventional appointment 'Great success'

"You can do it, the coach believes in you," he said, so he was a master, and he had no hits in 13 at-bats…Hanwha's No. 1 unconventional appointment 'Great success'

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The Hanwha Eagles won the "Winning Series" thanks to outfielder Lee Won-seok (26)'s stellar performance on the third base, including the finishing hit. Manager Kim Kyung-moon's bold use of Lee, who had no hits in 13 times at bat, as the first hitter worked well.

Lee was listed in the starting lineup as the first batter and center fielder at the home game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on Sunday. He played as the starting pitcher for the third time this season. In the previous two games, Lee was placed as the first hitter in the first place.온라인바카라

Lee Won-seok, whose main role is to be a pinch runner, scored six points by stealing three bases before the game. However, he did not show much presence at bat. He had no hits in 13 times at bat and struck out six. He only got on base once with a hit ball against Kiwoom on the 11th.

However, Hanwha coach Kim Kyung-moon put Lee's name at the top of the lineup card on the day. As Hwang Young-mook, who recently started batting first, lost his batting sense, he dropped to the seventh batter's box, giving Lee a chance. Having increased his weight by 13 kilograms by banking on his strong will to eat six meals a day last winter, Lee competed as a candidate for the first hitter from spring camp to exhibition games. After the opening, the role was limited to a pinch runner, but head coach Kim Kyung-moon continued to pay attention to Lee Won-seok.

Before the game, coach Kim said, "(Lee) Won-seok has had a hard time getting hit by the bat, but I hope he can go out as a cleanup hitter today and record a hit. I have prepared hard and tried hard from the winter training, but if I don't get a hit, the player will also feel frustrated. If I get a hit today, it will be helpful in the future. Rather than always using him as a pinch runner, I think it would be better to play as a starting pitcher once in a while."

Lee adequately met Kim's expectations. After drawing a walk against Kiwoom starter Cho Young-gun in the first inning, he boldly jumped to second base from the first pitch at the next batter's box Esteban Floral, recording his fourth stolen base of this season. The steal rate was 100 percent. Though it did not lead to a run, he succeeded in getting on base and on base as the first batter.

Then came the first hit that he had been waiting for with the bases loaded with one out, which was tied 1-1. Against the changed pitcher, Kim Sun-ki hit a slider at the outside at the fifth pitch from the ball count 2-2, and made a timely hit to garner an RBI single that falls in front of the center field. His timely hit, which led to the game's come-from-behind 2-1, turned the game into the final hit.

Lee Won-seok, who had his first hit blocked him, also pushed a fastball of 153 kilometers per hour on the second pitch by Kiwoom side-arm Lee Kang-joon to lead the team to a right-handed hit in the seventh inning. He played on the third base, including multi-hits, and led the winning series with Hanwha's 7-1 victory.

After the game, Lee Won-seok said, "I haven't had a hit recently, and it was bad, but the coach gave me a chance and I was confident that it came out as a good result." When he confirmed that he entered the starting lineup before the game, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "I was a little blank, but the coach called me separately and said, 'I can do it well. I trust the coach,' so I felt comfortable."

When he was running to the first base with his first hit in the second inning, his frustration that had been accumulated so far was relieved in an instant. "I hit the ball with a desperate heart as if I couldn't hit it (to the second base)." Lee said, "It was the ball I was aiming for. The slider (third pitch) swung and missed, and I moved the position of the batter's box to the front of the pitcher. If it were in the original position, it would have been a swing and miss, but the change came out well."

The bat didn't fit early in the season, but he didn't give up and settled down, and he didn't miss the opportunity to come on this day. Lee Won-seok said, "I wanted to do well, so I was ahead of my motivation, and I became impatient with my strength. I was disappointed in myself (behind the competition in the main competition), but I didn't let my body and mind get tired every day thinking that I had the next opportunity, so today came."

Although he was one step behind in the competition for the main outfielder, he played a key role in fast baseball pursued by head coach Kim Kyung-moon as he was deployed as a pinch runner in the mid-to-late half of the game. Lee Won-seok said, "I have to play a little more boldly as a runner, but I think I'm still playing a role of about 70 percent," adding, "It's because I talked a lot with the running coach to find a pitching habit."

Above all, the encouragement that cheered manager Kim Kyung-moon's courage was a big boost. Lee Won-seok said, "Whenever the manager passes by, he said, 'Cheer up. You can do it. You can overcome it,' which was helpful. "I have a sense of responsibility," he said. "I have no doubt about my efforts. There are good times and bad times, but I think it was a bad time. I will bully the pitcher with my fast feet, get on base and play as much as I can. I will do my best without getting tired. I'll lose some weight in the summer, but I'll try harder to maintain it," he said.