Autumn Nightmare Turn LG Kim Hyun-soo "I felt good from the first hit and hit it confidently"

KS slumped in Games 1-3, exploded for two hits and three RBIs in Game 4

LG Twins veteran slugger Kim Hyun-soo bounced back in Game 4 of the best-of-seven Korean Series (KS).

LG swept the KT Wiz 15-4 in Game 4 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank Throwdown KBO KS at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Nov. 11.

After falling 2-3 in Game 1, LG swept Games 2-4 to remain one win away from winning the KS title for the first time in 29 years since 1994. A win in Game 5 at Jamsil Stadium on the 13th will clinch the title.

On that day, the LG bats pounded out 17 hits, including three home runs, to blast the KT mound.

Kim Hyun-soo's two-run blast was the catalyst for the LG offense.

In his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, with the score tied at 0-0, Kim pulled a two-pitch changeup from opposing starter Uhm Sang-baek and launched it over the right-field fence.

With a 5-0 lead, Kim's bat was sharp in the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, with runners on first and second, he lined a single to right.

It was the start of LG's big inning. LG then scored six more runs as five batters hit consecutive hits, including a three-run shot to right by Oh Ji-hwan.

Kim Hyun-soo, who had struggled in Games 1-3, going 2-for-13 with a .154 batting average, rebounded with a big day.

For Hyun-soo Kim, fall is a season of rebirth. Until last year, he had a career postseason (PS) batting average of .263, which pales in comparison to his regular season average of .314. He's had his ups and downs, and he's had his "crazy" moments.

In the early fall of his professional career with the Doosan Bears, he was labeled as weak.

In particular, in the 2008 KS against the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers), he batted just 0.048 in five games. He pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 5 of the three-game series.

The image of Kim Hyun-soo breaking down in tears after hitting the game-winning hit in Game 5 is still etched in the minds of baseball fans.

After batting .538 (7-for-13) in four games in the 2009 semi-playoffs, Kim had another nightmare in the fall of 2010. He batted just .118 (2-for-17) in five semi-postseason games and .111 (1-for-9) in five playoff games.

In 2015, his final year with Doosan, Kim appeared to shake off his fall jinx with KS. He batted .421 (8-for-19) with four RBIs in five games, helping them win the championship.

After the 2015 season, Kim became a free agent, signing with the Baltimore Orioles and leaving for the United States before returning to the KBO in 2018, signing a four-year, $11.5 billion contract with LG.

Since donning the LG uniform, Kim hasn't had much to smile about in the fall.

He batted just .176 (3-for-17) and .250 (2-for-8) in the 2019 and 2020 semi-preseason, respectively. LG also failed to cross the threshold.

It was a bittersweet fall for LG in the 2021 semi-preseason as they were eliminated by hometown team Doosan in a two-game series after batting just 0.143 (14-for-2).

In last year's PO, he struggled to a 0.412 batting average (17-for-7), but was unable to prevent his team from being eliminated.

Kim Hyun-soo seemed to continue his autumn nightmare at KS this year, with a disappointing showing in Game 3.

However, he had a big smile on his face in the fourth game. He also got his first championship ring since joining LG.

After the game, Kim Hyun-soo said, "I was fortunate to be able to bury the hatchet thanks to the players' good performances in the second and third games. I felt good from my first at-bat today, and I wasn't nervous," he said, adding, "I felt good and swung confidently even though I tried not to show it."

When asked about his poor performance in fall baseball, Kim Hyun-soo said, "When I was younger, I couldn't hit boldly. Now that I've accumulated a lot of experience, I want to hit without getting excited."

Kim Hyun-soo said, "From the time I trained in Icheon, I practiced turning my swing better than closing my shoulders. I hadn't hit hard since my back was hurting, but this time I will hit hard."

In this KS, LG has become a 'home run team'. They hit eight home runs in the four games of the KS.

Kim Hyun-soo said, "After losing the first game, I thought it would be good to have a home run in the second game to bring back the atmosphere. In the second game, Oh Ji-hwan hit a home run," he said, explaining the secret: "I think the players felt more relaxed after getting one."

Until last year, teams with a 3-1 lead in KS had a 94.1 percent chance of winning the title. 16 out of 17 times, the team with a 3-1 lead won.

There was only one time when a team with a 3-1 lead failed to win the title, in 2013, and it was Doosan, and Kim Hyun-soo suffered.

"I don't want to think about 2013. I want to tell my teammates that it's important to keep doing what we're doing," he emphasized. 스포츠토토맨