“I think I have star quality.”
Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lim Ji-yeol’s face was bright as he sat down for an interview.
Im Ji-yeol hit a come-from-behind grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 3 of the weekend series against the Lotte Giants at Gocheok Sky Dome on April 28, leading his team to a 7-5 comeback victory.
His bat had regained some of its mojo. Prior to the eighth inning, Kiwoom had been held scoreless for 27 consecutive innings, but a five-run ninth inning broke that streak. It was a setback, but a dormant volcano spewing smoke is bound to erupt토토사이트.
It wasn’t an easy game today either. Starter Chung Chan-heon was knocked around for five runs in just 4⅔ innings, and the team could only muster a single run in the third and seventh innings. The offense had plenty of hits, but they didn’t translate into runs. A pitcher’s interference error, an error by the third baseman, and an error by the left fielder shook the mound.
However, in the eighth inning, with the score at 2-5, Lee Won-seok, a veteran who has become Lotte’s best pitcher, hit three straight singles to load the bases. Kim Dong-heon’s sacrifice fly made it 3-5, and Kim Hwijip’s RBI single brought the bases loaded again.
The 2023 KBO League game between the Kiwoom Heroes and the Lotte Giants was held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 28th. Kiwoom’s Lim Ji-yeol celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning. Gocheok = Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.05.28/
Yoon Myung-jun was on the mound for Lotte and Lim Ji-yeol was at bat. Lim Ji-yeol is the son of former Binggrae dynamite batting lineup member Lim Ji-jok, who is now a part of Hanwha’s Seosan division.
He’s moved from the outfield to the infield, and his batting has never been better. He was removed from the first team after a poor opening week, but was given another chance on May 9. He hit a game-winning home run against the NC Dinos on May 12, and then followed it up with a two-game homer the next day. Over the next two days, he pounded out four home runs and seven RBIs. He’s been getting regular at-bats since then, and he broke out today. It was his first career grand slam.
Im Ji-yeol was considered a one-hit wonder prospect, but he only hit one home run in the regular season. It wasn’t until last year’s postseason that he began to show his true colors.
He proved his worth with a two-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 1 of the semifinals against the KT Wiz.
The 2023 KBO League game between the Kiwoom Heroes and Lotte Giants was held at Gocheok Sky Dome on April 28. Kiwoom’s Lim Ji-yeol celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning. Gocheok = Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.05.28/
In the third game of the playoffs against the LG Twins, he came up as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 3-2, and connected on a first-pitch fastball from LG’s Lee Jung-yong for a two-run home run. He was named the Game 3 Daily MVP.
Despite losing the Korean Series, he hit a two-run homer off SSG Landers ace Font in Game 6 of the Korean Series. He went from having only one career home run to hitting three in a single postseason. For Kiwoom, who missed out on the Korean Series title, it was a bittersweet gift.
He has plenty of opportunities this year. After a career-high 148 at-bats in 40 games last year, he’s already had 69 at-bats in 23 games this year.
The 2023 KBO League game between the Kiwoom Heroes and the Lotte Giants was held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 28th. Kiwoom’s Lim Ji-yeol celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning. Gocheok = Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.05.28/
In a postgame interview, Lim Ji-yeol said, “The team was on a losing streak, so I focused on winning. I just did what I could. I feel good that I helped the team win,” he said with a humble smile. It’s a far cry from the fiery emotions after his home run, when he jumped up and hugged his teammates. “When I do well, he tells me I did well, and when I don’t do well, he doesn’t talk about baseball as much as possible. I’m always grateful,” he said.
“I haven’t thought about it, but (from what I’ve heard) I seem to have a star quality,” he replied, making the audience laugh. As for coach Hong Won-ki, he said, “He’s always quiet. He just stroked me,” he said.
“The moment I hit it, I thought I would at least hit the fence. The atmosphere in the dugout was not good because we kept losing, but I hope my home run will give my teammates a chance to rebound.”