KT infielder Hwang Jae-gyun (37) expressed his feelings on reaching 3,000 career hits.
Hwang Jae-gyun reached the milestone with a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead, batting seventh in the second game of a three-game series against Lotte in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, on April 21. He went 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored in the team’s 8-2 victory.
It was the 21st player in KBO history to reach 3,000 RBIs, 18 years after making his professional debut in 2006.
Speaking to the media before the final game of the three-game series against Lotte at the same venue on Feb. 22, Hwang shared his thoughts on reaching 3,000 RBI. “I wasn’t thinking about 3,000 hits at all,” he said, “but I realized that I’ve been playing baseball for a long time.”
Hwang stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs, and took a 129-kilometer-per-hour forkball from the second pitcher, Jin Seung-hyun, on a six-pitch at-bat. It was a big hit that went all the way to the fence, and it was hard to imagine that Hwang, who had recently injured his toe, would be able to run to third base, but he slid into third and completed his 3,000th hit.
“The ball didn’t hit the fence, so I 먹튀검증 kept running while watching,” Hwang explained. “I don’t have a problem running, but I used to stand and slide in, but now I have to slide. I think I’ve slowed down a lot,” he chuckled.
After the game, Hwang received a commemorative 3000-run ball, but he wasn’t particularly impressed. “I don’t really care about it,” Hwang said. I don’t know where I got it,” he said. However, he said, “If it’s the No. 1 record in the league, I think I’ll keep it.”
With 1,944 career hits, Hwang is on track to surpass the 2,000-hit mark. “I feel like I’ve been doing it steadily, but I’m not too worried about the record,” he said casually.
Early in the season, Hwang suffered a severe hitting slump, and early last month, he was sidelined with a fractured toe. In the meantime, KT slumped to the bottom of the standings. “It was the first time I’d ever been out for this long,” he said, “I would have been able to relax if the team was doing well, but I was still worried about the slump.”
However, Hwang Jae-gyun, who was desperate after returning from injury, wielded a bludgeoning bat. After returning to the lineup against Doosan on June 3, Hwang caught fire, batting 3-for-6 with 23 RBIs in 63 at-bats in 16 games. His season batting average is now 2-for-9 (32-for-107), and he’s already surpassing the triple digits.
The team also rebounded with a 12-5 record in 17 games in June. With 28 wins, two draws, 34 losses, and a winning percentage of 4.5 p.p.r., they moved from last place to eighth. Hwang Jae-gyun smiled, saying, “I would have thought, ‘Is it because of me,’ if the team was sluggish even after my return, but the players all did a good job,” adding, “I think we can be in a high place at the end of the season.”
KT will try to complete a three-game sweep of Lotte on Sunday. Hwang Jae-gyun started at third base, batting fifth.
