It’s only his first senior national team appearance, but he’s already got two home runs. Korean national baseball team shortstop Kim Joo-won hit a leadoff home run to help his team reach the final of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Kim hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning of the China game of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Saturday at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center 1 near Hangzhou, China. It was his second home run of the tournament after hitting one against Thailand on March 3. It is the most on the team. No other player in the entire tournament has two home runs. The ballpark is big and the headwind is strong.
After the game, Kim Joo-won said, “It felt even better and more exciting to hit a home run in an international tournament. My condition is always good. Even if it’s not good, I’ll try to improve it.” Kim has been hitting well throughout the tournament. He has been in the starting lineup since the third game of the main round against Thailand. “He has a good swing trajectory right now,” said Ryu Jung-il, the national team’s head coach.스포츠토토
Kim is also focused on defense. In the bottom of the second inning, he caught a hard-hit ball up the middle. “The ball doesn’t roll very well here, so I thought I could catch it if I chased it as best I could. I was lucky,” Kim said.
The team will play the final against Chinese Taipei on July 7. In the preliminary round game against Chinese Taipei, Kim struck out as the last batter in the ninth inning. “I don’t know if I’ll start in the final, but if I do, I’ll try to focus on every at-bat,” Kim said.
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