SSG Landers showed off their potential with the performance of veterans.
SSG won 9-7 in the home game against NC Dinos held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 3rd. SSG, which had won three games in a row, maintained its 5th place position with 68 wins, 3 draws, and 63 losses.
Veterans Kim Seong-hyeon (36) and Ha Jae-hoon (33) stood out. Seong-Hyun Kim started as the 6th hitter and shortstop, going 1 hit in 3 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 run, while Jae-Hoon Ha came on as a substitute and performed well with 2 hits in 3 at-bats, 1 home run, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 3 runs
Their performance means a lot. SSG was worried about the vacancy in the inside and outfield as outfielder Choi Ji-hoon and infielder Park Seong-han, the core of the center line, joined the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team. However, Kim Seong-hyun and Ha Jae-hoon erased such concerns.
Kim Seong-hyun was the ignition of the great victory that day. He announced the chase by scoring the team's first run in the bottom of the 5th inning when the team was down 0-5, when he got on base with 1 out and a hit to right, and then continued on with 1 out and runner Kim Min-sik on 2nd base. He created another opportunity by getting a walk even with one out in the bottom of the 6th inning when the score was 5-5.
Ha Jae-hoon did not mind the sudden business trip. SSG coach Kim Won-hyung moved Guillermo Heredia, who played left field, to center field to fill Choi Ji-hoon's void. As a result, Lee Jeong-beom, who stepped into the empty left field position, injured his left knee while chasing a batted ball in the top of the first inning, and Ha Jae-hoon was rushed in. Nevertheless, Ha Jae-hoon showed off his hitting skills better than any of the starting batters.
Ha Jae-hoon, who entered the batting order at number 7, rushed from second base to home without missing NC's defensive error with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied at 5-5, scoring the final score. In the bottom of the 8th inning, ahead 8-5, he became the leadoff hitter and even hit a solo home run in the middle of the week. He pulled his fastball outside the strike zone and drew a large arc with a distance of 125m.
After the game, Ha Jae-hoon said, “I had to go out suddenly, but my body is always ready.” He added, “Honestly, I'm worried that (Lee) Jeong-beom is injured. Still, I think I should take comfort in the fact that I was able to do my part. Also, aren't there any games that aren't important right now? We have to win every game. “I will do my best until the last game is over,” he said. Coach Kim praised Jaehoon Ha's home run, saying, “It had a positive impact on the victory.”
