Samsung Lions’ Kim Ji-chan recorded a multi-hit game in his comeback.
Kim Ji-chan started at second base in the ninth spot in the batting order against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Wednesday. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Samsung won the game 7-2.
Kim Ji-chan joined the first team ahead of the game. He had complained of hamstring pain on the 24th of last month. Kim has a nagging hamstring injury. He injured the same area last season, and this year, he went down with the injury in the spring camp in Okinawa.메이저놀이터
This time, it wasn’t a major injury, but the decision was made to rest him for his own protection, and he spent ten days focusing on his health. Once he was 100 per cent fit, he played in a Futures League game to check up on his condition, and then joined the first team.
Coach Park Jin-man said, “Kim Ji-chan had enough rest. We wanted to call him up after he played two games with the second team, but he only played one game because the game was cancelled due to rain. We wanted to give him a chance to get his feet wet in the bottom of the batting order,” he said, welcoming Kim’s return.
Once back on the field, Kim didn’t seem to miss a beat. In his first at-bat in the third inning, he flied out to left field, but in his second at-bat in the fifth inning, he made a comeback hit. With runners on first and second, Kim hit a 145km fastball from Felix Peña for a single to right.
He completed his multi-hit performance in his third at-bat of the eighth inning. Kim led off with a single to right on a 124km two-seam fastball from reliever Jung Woo-ram. Kim Hyun-jun followed with a single to left, stole second, and came home when Koo Ja-rook singled up the middle.
In the ninth inning, Kim Ji-chan was hit by a pitch. He then showed off his speed to score. The next batter, Pirela, hit a single to left, but the opposing left fielder, Lee Jin-young, made a throwing error. Seeing that the ball was out of play, Kim picked up his speed and drove it home.
Samsung was happy to see Kim’s performance. With Kim’s return, they now have a more solid centreline. Chun Gun-man-ma is back for Samsung as they look to break into the mid-table.