카지노LG Twins outfielder Hong Chang-ki made the most of a missed bunt to help his team to victory.
LG improved to 45-1, 26-0 (.634) on the season with an 8-6 victory over SSG Landers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on April 28 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. They clinched their fifth consecutive best-of-seven series.
Hong Chang-ki, who started in the leadoff spot, went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop praised her, saying, “Shin Min-jae and Hong Chang-gi tied the game in the eighth inning and were able to set the tone for the entire game.”
In particular, Hong made a strong impression in the top of the eighth inning when the team was down 5-6. With the bases loaded, she tried to bunt on the first pitch but couldn’t get the ball on the bat, and after a stolen base by Shin Min-jae, she bunted again on a 3-1 pitch that was foul. Even though he drew a full count, the play was ultimately unsuccessful.
But Hong Chang-ki didn’t let the failed bunt stop him. He pulled a seven-pitch slider from Ko Hyo-joon and lined it to right-center field.
Second baseman Shin Min-jae slid home with ease, and as center fielder Choi Ji-hoon flicked the ball behind him, Hong raced to third. After sliding into third base on a head-first slide, Hong raised his arms in the air and roared.
With the tying run on third base, Hong came home on Kim Hyun-soo’s single to left field. It turned out to be the final run of the game.
After the game, Hong said, “At first, I bunted, and at 3-1, the pitch came. I thought, ‘I’m not going to strike out, I’m just going to get a base hit,’ so I hit it, and I’m glad I did,” he said.
“At first I thought the center fielder was going to cut it off, but then I saw the difference between the glove and the ball, so I thought I could go to third,” he said, adding, “I think I was just happy to get the game-winning hit (for the ceremony).”
In April, Hong hadn’t quite warmed up yet, going 29-for-102 with a .284 batting average and 11 RBIs. But he turned it up last month, going 86-for-33 with a .384 batting average and six RBIs, and recently went on a 13-game multi-hit streak that began on Thursday against the Jamsil Samsung Lions.
“I think it’s been a cycle of going up and down and then coming back up,” Hong said. I didn’t do anything differently, I just kept practicing the same, and I think my hitting is getting better because I kept doing that,” he said.
Despite her own success, Hong’s mind is a little lighter now that the team has secured two wins against teams in contention for the top spot. “We were fighting for first place, so I think it’s good to go home with two wins,” Hong said with a smile before heading to the team bus.