LG Twins player Shin Min-jae is recording remarkable batting stats after returning from the second team in mid-May for a hitting adjustment. Since returning to the starting lineup on May 25, he ranks second in batting average, second in hits, and second in on-base percentage. He is performing well, following Lotte’s '200 hits' foreign player Reyes.

On May 11, Shin Min-jae's batting average dropped to .191, and he went down to the second team the next day, May 12. After just ten days of only batting training, he returned to the first team. Shin Min-jae said, “In Icheon, I trained for about five hours a day, eating, hitting, sleeping, and then hitting again, repeating that to continue training.”

After returning to the first team, he initially participated only as a defensive substitute during games to recharge his depleted energy from too much batting practice in the second team. He started as second baseman from the game against SSG Landers on May 25. His efforts in training in the second team have shone greatly. Since May 25, Shin Min-jae has played in 20 games, recording a batting average of .390 (77 at-bats, 30 hits), 9 RBIs, 16 runs, an on-base percentage of .448, a slugging percentage of .416, and an OPS of .864.

During this period, the only player with a higher batting average, hits, and on-base percentage than Shin Min-jae is Lotte’s Reyes. Reyes recorded a batting average of .421 (76 at-bats, 32 hits), an on-base percentage of .482, a slugging percentage of .618, and an OPS of 1.100. He ranks first in batting average, hits, and on-base percentage. Shin Min-jae is in second place.

In the match against the NC Dinos held on the 18th at Jamsil Stadium, Shin Min-jae showed peak batting form as the leadoff hitter. He went 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs, opening up pathways for the offense and acting as a solution provider.

In his first at-bat in the first inning, he reached base on a walk and scored on Moon Bo-gyeong's sacrifice fly. In the second inning, with two outs and a runner on third, he hit a timely single to center field, raising his RBI total and making the score 2-0. After trailing 3-5, he chose another walk in the fourth inning with one out and later scored on a ground ball by Moon Bo-gyeong with the bases loaded.

In the fifth inning, with no outs and the team trailing 5-6, Shin Min-jae hit a timely single to center field, turning the score to 7-6. In the seventh inning, leading 8-7, he executed a sacrifice bunt from first base to create a man on second with one out. With a tie score of 8-8 in the ninth inning, he hit a single to right field, threading the needle between first and second base, setting up a chance for runners on first and third. Subsequently, a ground ball by Song Chan-ui scored the runner from third, leading to a walk-off victory.

Shin Min-jae has recorded hits in 17 consecutive games and has a high batting average of .425 (40 at-bats, 17 hits) over the last 10 games. After the game, Shin Min-jae said, “I’m getting into a timing for fastballs, and I’m also hitting breaking balls continuously to check if my timing is okay. Since my hitting point is happening earlier, it seems to lead to good results.”

His two-RBI go-ahead hit against Lim Jeong-ho in the fifth inning was impressive. Shin Min-jae explained, “Lim Jeong-ho's pitches are really hard to hit. I struck out on a slider yesterday (17th). The slider thrown at two strikes is a bit different from the one thrown when counting. I had drawn a picture of the slider coming close to my body and head at 2 balls, and it turned into a strike. I hit a slider that came again before it curved, and it hit perfectly.”

Shin Min-jae said, “I don’t really worry about the consecutive hits record. I’m focusing a bit more on the team winning. Even if I can’t get a hit, as long as I can hit 2 or 3 the next day, I don’t worry too much. Since I bat as a leadoff hitter, I’m thinking more about getting on base.”

LG's on-base king Hong Chang-ki underwent surgery for a knee ligament injury in early May and has been out for the season. Shin Min-jae is filling the gap left by Hong Chang-ki and performing well as a leadoff hitter.

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