Professional baseball player Hwang Jae-kyun (38) of the KT Wiz is showing his hot hitting form.
On the 24th, Hwang Jae-kyun started as the first baseman in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes at the Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League, achieving 4 hits out of 5 at-bats, including 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
As the leadoff batter in the first inning, Hwang Jae-kyun easily got a hit. After reaching second base on a ground out by Kim Min-hyeok, Hwang came home on Ahn Hyun-min's double. In the second inning, with one out, he hit a double and scored on Kim Min-hyeok's RBI single.
In the fourth inning, with two outs, Hwang Jae-kyun stepped up to the plate for his third at-bat and hit a 144 km/h fastball from the right-handed starting pitcher Jo Young-gun, sending a solo home run over the left field wall. It was his second home run of the season, recording a distance of 120 meters.
After recording a hit, a double, and a home run in his first three at-bats, Hwang Jae-kyun was just one triple away from achieving his first career cycle hit. However, in the sixth inning with no outs and a runner on first, he hit another single, and in the eighth inning with one out, he popped out to right field, narrowly missing the cycle hit. Thanks to Hwang's performance, KT won 10-4.
In a post-game interview, Hwang Jae-kyun said, "In my last at-bat, the Cardinals player was too far toward the gap in right center. Honestly, I think the cycle hit depends on luck. If the ball had gotten away and I had pushed it too much, I might have torn my hamstring. Maybe it turned out well that way. I think if the ball hadn't been caught, I would have unknowingly run to third base." Despite missing the cycle hit, he laughed it off.
This season, Hwang Jae-kyun has a batting average of .315 (53 hits in 168 at-bats), 2 home runs, 19 RBIs, 23 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases with an OPS of .785. His batting average was down to .197 by April 26, indicating a poor hitting performance early in the season, but he gradually raised his game, surpassing a .300 average. Recently, he has reached a batting average of .524 over the last 10 games (22 hits in 42 at-bats) and recorded 4 hits in two consecutive games.
"I've had 4 hits a few times, but I don't think I've had 8 hits in 2 games before," Hwang Jae-kyun laughed, stating, "These days, when I swing the bat, the contact is right in the center, and I'm getting a lot of hits, so I think this is my best hitting form yet." He added, "Since my number of at-bats is low, my batting average goes up quickly, and when it drops, it drops quickly too. Now, I have to focus on maintaining it."
"I haven't been in bad condition all this time," Hwang Jae-kyun said. "Before I started improving, Coach Yoo Han-jun advised me, ‘You’re not starting well from behind. Pay attention to that part.’ Since that day, I've been getting multi-hits and maintaining that condition. I’m grateful to Coach Yoo Han-jun. Coach Kim Kang has been watching me for a long time and knows exactly when I'm doing well and when I'm not. So when I’m not doing well, he lets me know where I need to improve, and when I'm doing well, he keeps encouraging me to continue. I'm really thankful to them."
Having prepared for the season with a remarkable determination by practicing as an outfielder during spring camp, Hwang Jae-kyun stated, "During the winter, I followed the diet I wanted and did the exercises I wanted. I thought I prepared well, but it was tough at first since the results didn't come out. However, now that results are coming in, I feel like I didn't make a wrong choice. It seems like I'm heading in a good direction."
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