The professional baseball LG Twins defeated the SSG Landers.

LG won 5-1 against SSG in their first match of the season held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 18th. LG is racing in first place with 17 wins and 4 losses.

O Ji-hwan, the starting shortstop batting fifth, led the offense with 4 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. Starting pitcher Chi-Rinos became the winning pitcher with 7 innings pitched, 3 hits allowed, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 earned run. He is tied for first place in wins this season with 4.

O Ji-hwan reached base with a right-field single in his first at-bat after 1 out in the 2nd inning. He successfully stole second base during Park Dong-won’s at-bat. Park Dong-won struck out. Song Chan-eui reached base on a hit by pitch, bringing a 2-out, 1st and 2nd base chance. However, Koo Bon-hyuk struck out, and the scoring opportunity was lost.

With O Ji-hwan's agile base running play, LG scored the first run. In the top of the 4th inning, with 2 outs, O Ji-hwan reached base with a center-field single. O Ji-hwan stole second base, and Park Dong-won hit a right-center field single. O Ji-hwan, who sprinted to third base, seized the opportunity when the throw from right fielder Han Yu-seom bounced off 2nd baseman and went toward the foul line, quickly running home to score. This score was the result of right fielder's throwing error, and O Ji-hwan’s concentration throughout the play paid off.

After the game, O Ji-hwan explained, "I thought it was 'inflation' until the umpires called time. So I didn’t want to give up. When I was in a stealing situation and Dong-won hit a single, I thought, based on the ball going toward right-center, there might be a chance to come home. I considered taking a chance even if that player caught it, and as luck would have it, the ball slipped out, and I ran."

In the 6th inning, tied 1-1, O Ji-hwan hit a solo home run (his 3rd of the season) against Park Jong-hun on a 1-ball, 1-strike count in the 2nd pitch. LG took a 2-1 lead.

LG seized the momentum in the 8th inning. With no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, Moon Seong-joo hit a 2-run double to make it 3-1. Following that, with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd base, O Ji-hwan hit a right-field single to extend the score to 4-1. Park Dong-won's timely hit followed, making it 5-1.

O Ji-hwan laughed and said, "This is my first interview (as the player of the game) this year. I think I had been well hidden. Since the players are doing well, I thought I just needed to perform well. Both the starting pitchers and the batters are fulfilling their roles, so I believed I just had to do my job well, and today the results turned out great." This was the first time LG had chosen him for the post-game interview with the media.

He went 4 for 4 at the plate with 100% on-base rate. O Ji-hwan said, "I think I misjudged against Won Tae-in yesterday. I was disappointed to lose at the end. When we did the analytical breakdown, I realized that Won Tae-in didn’t throw me any fastballs. So, I was specifically targeting breaking balls, which made it even more disappointing. In my first at-bat, he threw a lot of change-ups, but then it was fastballs from then on. I miscalculated, I believe I overthought it."

He continued, "So today, I thought I definitely had to time the fastball against Park Jong-hun from the start, and the result was good."

By the 6th inning, O Ji-hwan had 3 hits, including the home run, out of the team's 4 hits. O Ji-hwan shared, "Last year, I couldn’t hit against Park Jong-hun. So, I wanted to get a hit. Also, since the team is doing well, during the pre-game meeting, the players cheered. We cheer by batting order, and we keep winning. It was my turn to cheer today, and I thought I couldn’t lose, which is why I think I worked harder."

Manager Yeom Kyung-yup praised, "O Ji-hwan's home run brought the momentum to our side in the offense. He led the lineup with 4 hits, and I hope he can continue this momentum into the next game."

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