Professional baseball player Song Chan-ui of the LG Twins made a remarkable performance in his debut, hitting his first grand slam and driving in 6 runs in a single game.

However, the bat he used to hit the grand slam was none other than one he received from Lotte Giants player Son Ho-young. They exchanged one bat each before the game, and Son Ho-young also hit a two-run home run.

On the 20th, Song Chan-ui started as the sixth right fielder in the game against Lotte at Sajik Stadium, contributing with 1 hit in 5 at-bats (1 home run), 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, and 6 RBIs, and scoring 2 runs. His single hit was a grand slam. That day he set a personal record for most RBIs in a single game with 6.

In the top of the first inning with two outs and a full house, Song Chan-ui spearheaded the attack against Lotte's starting pitcher Yoon Seong-bin. After falling behind 1 ball and 2 strikes, he took three consecutive balls for a bases-loaded walk, scoring the first run.

In the second inning with no outs and the bases loaded, Song Chan-ui hit a grand slam over the left wall against Lotte's second pitcher Park Jin. It was his debut grand slam. With Song Chan-ui's home run, LG pulled ahead 10-0. In the fourth inning, with no outs and runners on second and third, he added another run with a ground ball to the shortstop. In the eighth inning, he reached base on a hit by pitch with one out and scored.

After the game, Song Chan-ui mentioned that he did not see his first grand slam properly. He said, "I didn't know exactly where the home run ball went. I thought the trajectory was low and I hit it pretty well. It was hard to see the sky at that moment. I judged it by looking at (left fielder) Reyes, who made a catching gesture. I thought I was lucky to get an RBI with a fly ball but realized it cleared the fence when the fielders were standing still. I was dazed at that time."

There’s a story behind the bat he used to hit the home run. Song Chan-ui said, "Before the game, I asked Ho-young for a bat, but he didn't just give it to me; he proposed we exchange one bat each. So we exchanged one bat each, and I hit a home run with that bat, so I'm grateful to Ho-young."

He added, "It’s similar to the bat I was using before. I wanted to use one of Ho-young’s bats, so I asked him for it." Son Ho-young was traded from LG to Lotte in March last year. The two players have been close since playing together at LG.

Son Ho-young also hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat in the third inning against Song Seung-ki. Song Chan-ui noted, "I couldn't confirm if he hit it with the bat I lent him." After a recent slump that dropped him to the ninth spot in the lineup, Son Ho-young performed well with 2 hits in 3 at-bats, including the two-run home run, along with 1 walk, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.

Song Chan-ui, who gained attention as a surprise home run king in the 2022 exhibition games, has not had significant accomplishments over the past three years and has mostly played in the second team. This season, he showed a good performance in spring training and exhibition games, prompting manager Yeom Kyung-yeop to assign him as a primary backup, stating, "There will be no going back to the second team this year."

Recently, Hong Chang-ki suffered a knee injury and received a diagnosis of ligament tears during a re-examination on the 20th, resulting in him being out for the season. With Hong Chang-ki’s absence from the right fielder position, Song Chan-ui is the first choice to replace him. He now has to fill the spot of a key player for the remainder of the season.

Song Chan-ui said, "Until Chang-ki hyung returns healthily, I think I need to fill that position with less visibility. Of course, it would be great if I could perform just as well, but I believe that Chang-ki hyung is an exceptional player, so I can’t really follow him entirely."

Finally, when asked about his feelings regarding his first grand slam and 6 RBIs game, Song Chan-ui said, "I didn't really think about how many RBIs I had today; I just focused on today's game. I want to drive in more runs going forward and hope for continued good results, so it was a day filled with those thoughts."

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