Kim Hye-sung, 25, of the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes, has signaled a second-half comeback.
Kim went 1-for-2 with a double, one run scored, and one walk as the second baseman for the Nanum All-Stars in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League All-Star Game held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on June 6.
Kim, who is currently batting .771 with 36 home runs, 359 RBI, 557 runs scored, 201 stolen bases and an OPS of .771 in 899 games (3,216 hits, 979 at-bats) in the KBO, announced his move to the major leagues via a post after the season ended. In her pivotal season before the big league challenge, Kim is hitting a career-high .949 with 10 home runs, 48 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 20 doubles and an OPS of .949 in 73 games (102-for-292).
Kim, who was named the Best 12 Sharing Second Baseman of the All-Star Game after receiving 1,286,124 fan votes and 189 player votes in the All-Star voting, said in a pregame interview, “Every time I come to the All-Star Game, it’s crazy. It’s hectic, but it’s fun and I feel good. Every year, there is a different kind of fun and joy,” she said in an interview before the game.
This could be Kim’s last All-Star Game in the KBO, as she’s headed to the major leagues.
“You never know in life,” said Kim, who smiled, “I’m just enjoying this moment,” adding, “It’s great to be voted into the All-Star Game. There are a lot of fans here, so I’m thinking that I have to do well so that my steps won’t be in vain. This is my third All-Star Game, and the first two I was just playing baseball. I think the fans also want a performance, 고스톱 온라인 so this time I’m going to do a small performance prepared by the team,” he said, adding that he wants to enjoy the All-Star Game. “In terms of baseball, I want to do a cycling hit, I want to do everything, but it’s not easy, so I’m just going to do my best and work hard,” she added.
Kim Hye-sung, who is having a career-high season, said, “My performance is good, but the team is 10th, and that’s the most disappointing thing. I’m very disappointed with the team’s performance. I want to work harder in the second half of the season after the All-Star break and show a better performance.”
Kiwoom is currently ranked 10th in the league this season.
However, with a 35-46 record and a .432 winning percentage, they have a higher winning percentage than the last-place teams from previous years. The six-game gap between them and fifth-place SSG (41 wins, 1 draw, 42 losses, .494 winning percentage), which is still eligible for the postseason, is not insurmountable.
“It’s not a huge gap,” said Kim Hye-sung. It’s not a big difference from fifth place, and we don’t know baseball, so we have to aim for a rebound in the second half,” said Kim, adding, “My goal is not anything special. My goal is to stay injury-free and work hard. We don’t have much of a game difference yet, so I just want to go higher,” he said of his goals for the second half.
Kiwoom will begin the second half of the season with a three-game home series against the ninth-place Hanwha Eagles (36-2-44, .450 winning percentage) at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sept. 9.