The KBO League has many younger brothers and sisters. Among the current active players are SSG Choi Jeong and Lotte Choi Hang, Lotte Park Se-woong and KT Park Se-jin.
Lee brothers, who had not been known much before, are on the rise this season. The main characters are “brother” infielder Lee Ju-chan (26, Lotte) and “brother” outfielder Lee Ju-hyung (23, Kium).
First, it was his younger brother Lee Ju-hyung who made his name known to the first team.
Lee Joo-hyung, who was nominated by LG in the 13th place in the second round of the 2020 rookie draft after graduating from Gyeongnam High School, was a promising outfielder.
Lee Ju-hyung started to draw attention when LG and Kiwoom made a trade last year. Kiwoom actually entered the “rebuilding” season by giving up starting pitcher Choi Won-tae, who is guaranteed to win 10 times, and bringing outfielder Lee Ju-hyung. As the main hitter Lee Jung-hoo left due to an ankle injury, he intended to fill the gap in this field and look to the future.
Lee Ju-hyeong played an active role as a “post Lee Jung-hoo.” He posted a batting average of 0.326 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 69 games last year, raising expectations that he will be able to fill the void left by Lee Jung-hoo who left for the U.S.
On the other hand, the process of making a name for his brother Lee Ju-chan was somewhat slow. Lee Ju-chan, a graduate of Kyungnam High School, was not selected as a rookie and settled in Lotte as a nurturing player in 2021. He played just three games in the first team in 2021, and accepted his poor performance of five strikeouts and no hits in seven at-bats, and he joined the active duty after that season.
In 2023, his first season after being discharged from the military, he only spent time in the Futures League. He hit .301 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 42 games, hoping for a chance.
The brothers, who were like this, had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow for a while as they welcomed the opening of this year’s event. Lee failed to make the opening entry due to the injury he sustained at the spring camp. Lee Ju-chan received an opportunity from the first game of this season after catching the eyes of Lotte coach Kim Tae-hyung. With Han Dong-hee out due to injury and lack of resources for right-handed hitting became a springboard for Lee. Kim was seen sweating profusely at the wrap-up camp held at Sangdong Stadium in Gimhae last year.
Then, as Lee Joo-hyung shook off his injury and made a comeback against Samsung on the 2nd, all of the brothers sat together in the first division stage.
On the 7th, each team contributed to the victory.
In the game against Hanwha at Gocheok Sky Dome, Lee Joo-hyung ran to the end and caught Hanwha Chae Eun-sung’s ball with two outs in the top of the 10th inning. Kiwoom, which blocked a run in the 10th inning of extra time, continued its seven-game winning streak with Kim Hye-sung’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning of extra time.
On the same day, Lee Ju-chan scored a long winning goal. He pinch hit in the bottom of the 10th inning with two outs and a runner on second base when the Doosan Bears were tying 6-6 at Sajik Doosan. Lee hit a double that fell to the left of the left field by hitting a fork ball on Kim Ho-joon of the Doosan Bears in the fifth pitch, and called in Son Ho-young from the second base to end the game.
Both are highly regarded for their indispensable performances in the team.
Kiwoom’s captain, Kim Hye-sung, called Lee Joo-hyung a “bok-puppy.” “Joo-hyung is coming and winning consecutively, he is a “bok-puppy”,” Kim said.
He also defended the situation when Lee Ju-hyung had a hit in the bottom of the 10th inning and was out after aiming until the third base. “I would have run even if I were the one. In that situation, I would have run no matter what because it wasn’t my personal greed but because I was in a situation where I could get points. It was a wonderful judgment,” Kim added with a thumbs-up.
Lee Ju-chan is finally being evaluated as having the fruits of his sweat. “Lee is a player who is desperate,” a club source said. “His defense was his strength, but he is even hitting.”
It won’t be long before “Brothers” play at a baseball stadium. Lotte and Kiwoom will hold three consecutive weekend games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from the 12th to the 14th. One of the highlights is the pride match between the Lee brothers.
BY: 토토사이트 추천