"It's difficult without Hyung-woo."
The KIA Tigers will enter the second half of the season starting with their game against the NC Dinos in Gwangju on the 17th. They will try to rebound in the second half, relieved of major worries. The league's top fourth batter, Choi Hyung-woo, starts normally, dispelling concerns about injury. He had been excluded after feeling tightness in his thigh while running during the first game of a three-game series against the first-place Hanwha Eagles on the 8th.
Although it did not lead to further injury, he could not participate in the next two games for management purposes. The team lost both of those remaining games as well. The gap with Hanwha widened to seven games over four games. If they had secured at least one win, they would have been within five games' reach. They allowed comebacks in the second and third games. Key hits were not produced in important opportunities. They felt the absence of Choi Hyung-woo acutely.
Despite turning 42 this year, he dominated as the league's top hitter. He participated in 83 games and went to bat 345 times. He achieved a batting average of .329 (3rd), 14 home runs (9th), 55 RBIs (8th), 50 runs, an on-base percentage of .432, a slugging percentage of .564, and an OPS of .996 (1st), with a batting average of .347 with runners in scoring position and 8 game-winning hits (8th).
He was the driving force that allowed the team to endure through Kim Do-young's two injuries and the long-term absence of Kim Sun-bin and Na Sung-bum due to calf injuries. He was the center of the batting lineup, possessing the team's best problem-solving ability. Additionally, he served as a mental pillar to encourage the young players who came up from the Hamyang second team, helping maintain solid performance.
Manager Lee Beom-ho said, "Since he is fine, we didn't exclude him from the roster. There are no problems in other areas. I'm concerned because of his age, but he has the chance to rest for ten days until the All-Star break. We managed to cover for Hyung-woo when other starters were absent. There's definitely a big difference between having him in the lineup and not. It has been tight and tough to score in opportunities since he has been out of the center. I'm relieved that there are no other issues in the second half."
Starting in the second half, KIA will operate a new batting lineup. Na Sung-bum and Kim Sun-bin will return to the first team roster together. They will establish a solid lineup with Wisdom batting third, Choi Hyung-woo fourth, Na Sung-bum fifth, Kim Sun-bin sixth, and Oh Sun-woo seventh. Kim Ho-ryeong, who has shown significant improvement in hitting, will also be positioned in the lower batting order. The on-base percentage of the table setters, Go Jong-wook-Park Chan-ho or Lee Chang-jin-Park Chan-ho, will be a task, but it is clear that the batting lineup has gained weight.
Na Sung-bum struggled early in the season but is motivated to perform in the middle of the lineup. He has had a strong sense of liability for being absent as captain for over two months. If he can unleash his unique power, the destruction potential of the middle lineup will increase. Kim Sun-bin boasts outstanding contact, and if he can resolve the opportunities created by the middle lineup while batting primarily sixth, a big inning could be possible. If Kim Do-young returns in August, the batting lineup will be complete. The influence of Choi Hyung-woo, who is holding the center, is felt.
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