KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol's strategy hit the mark.
KT made changes to their starting lineup ahead of the April 14 game against the Daegu Samsung Lions.
They arranged the batting order as center fielder Bae Jeong-dae, second baseman Kim Sang-su, right fielder Ahn Hyun-min, designated hitter Lee Jeong-hoon, third baseman Heo Gyeong-min, left fielder Mel Rojas Jr., first baseman Lee Ho-yeon, catcher Jo Dae-hyun, and shortstop Kwon Dong-jin, ahead of Samsung starter Ariel Hurado.
The notable point is Lee Jeong-hoon's batting cleanup spot. Lee Jeong-hoon, who changed uniforms with left-hander Park Se-jin (Lotte Giants pitcher), has only 3 home runs in his KBO career.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol noted the reason for assigning Lee Jeong-hoon the cleanup role for the first time since his transfer, stating, 'He was strong against Samsung starter Hurado.' Lee Jeong-hoon had a batting average of 3 hits in 6 at-bats against Hurado.
In his first at-bat of the game, Lee Jeong-hoon was retired on a strikeout swinging. There were no failures the second time. In the third inning, with one out and one on base, he targeted a changeup on the fourth pitch from Samsung starter Hurado with a ball count of 1B-2S, sending it flying over the right field fence. This home run comes 703 days after his last one on July 12, 2023, against the NC Dinos while he was with Lotte.
Meanwhile, KT leads 4-0 currently in the bottom of the third, propelled by a two-run homer from Kim Sang-su and Lee Jeong-hoon.
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