As the final game approaches in 2023, the competition between NC Son Ah-seop and LG Hong Chang-gi to be the batting champion is heated.
Son Ah-seop and Hong Chang-ki also performed well in the NC-Doosan professional baseball game ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL’ held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 20th스포츠토토.
NC Son Ah-seop appeared as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning, started with a heavy hit, and walked in the top of the second inning, his second at-bat. In his third at-bat, in the top of the 5th inning, he hit a double, in his fourth at-bat, in the top of the 7th, he hit a hit to right field, and in his fifth at-bat, he hit a fly to left field, going 3-for-4 with a walk and 2 runs, leading NC to a 5-4 victory.
LG Hong Chang-gi is not easy either. He appeared as the lead batter in the bottom of the first inning, his first at-bat, and got off to a good start by hitting a double to left. He got on base with a walk in the bottom of the third inning, his second at-bat, a hit to right in the bottom of the fourth, his third at-bat, and a bases-loaded ball again in his fourth at-bat. In his fifth and final at-bat, he grounded out to second base.
On this day, Hong Chang-gi showed good performance, going 2 hits in 3 at-bats, 1 walk, and 2 runs scored.
Son Ah-seop, who started his professional career wearing a Lotte uniform in 2007, ranked second in batting twice in 2013 and 2020, and Hong Chang-ki, who wore an LG uniform in 2016, ranked fourth with a batting average of 0.328 in 2021.
Son Ah-seop is known as the most difficult hitter among pitchers. Although he is a bit small, he sees the ball all the way through and is precise at the point of contact. He also became the first player ever to have 150 hits in eight consecutive years.
Hong Chang-ki, who is tall and has a good physique, is known as a good pitcher. He has the ability to create good hits based on good pitching ideas. He leads the league in walks this year and is first overall with 4.27 pitches per at-bat.
The battle for the batting title, which is more intense than ever, is expected to continue until the end of the game. Whoever he is, he is the first batting champion of his life.
On this day, NC-LG’s game was back-and-forth, and in the top of the 9th inning, when the score was tied 4-4, NC won by 1 run due to Austin’s throwing error, which caught Seo Ho-cheol’s batted ball with 2 outs and runners on second base.