“It was like watching Lee Jong-beom (current LG Twins coach) in the old days.”

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol praised Kim Sang-soo’s speed on the basepaths.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol talked about Kim Sang-soo ahead of the 2023 KBO Baseball League’s away game against LG on June 6 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

Kim Sang-soo made a fluid base running play against LG in Jamsil on Friday. Photo by Chun Jeong-hwan
Kim Sang-soo showed off his quick feet to help KT win 8-4 against LG at the same venue the previous day (May 5).메이저사이트

The situation was this. With the score tied at 0-0 in the top of the third inning, Kim batted with one out and two runners on base and took a two-pitch, 127-kilometer changeup from opposing starter Im Chan-kyu for a single to left field. He then advanced to third on Kim Min-hyuk’s double to right center.

The next batter was Anthony Alford. Alford hit an 8-pitch fastball from Lim Chan-gyu, but the ball found its way to LG first baseman Austin Dean, who was playing a weak forward defense. Austin immediately threw to first base.

But that’s where Kim Sang-soo really showed his true colors. He started a “storming run” to home plate, and although it looked like he was going to be thrown out at first, he managed to slide in and score.

“At first, I thought he was out,” said Lee Kang-cheol, who was interviewed before the game against LG on June 6. When the catcher caught the ball, it looked like he was going to be out, but it just flew by. It’s a slide that only a player with speed can do,” and he applauded.

Lee then brought up a memory from the past. He was referring to LG Twins coach Lee Jong-beom, who was nicknamed the “Son of the Wind. The coach, who played from 1994 to 2011, was so quick on his feet that he stole 510 bases in his professional career.

Lee Kang-chul said, “It was like watching the old Jong-bum Lee. It was a Daegu Samsung Lions game, and I wondered if the third baseman was (Kim) Hansu (now coach of the Doosan Bears) or our senior (coach) Kim Tae-gyun. In the first inning, the ground ball came out bang, bang, two bounds so that the runner could never move, and then Lee Jong-beom came (home). The defense was fine, and I thought it was an out, but then he came in on the catcher’s throw, and I remembered that. I wasn’t the only one surprised, the whole dugout was surprised,” he said tongue-in-cheek.

KT, which is challenging for a series sweep and a fifth consecutive win with this game, lined up Alford (left fielder), Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman), Park Byung-ho (first baseman), Moon Sang-chul (designated hitter), Kang Hyun-woo (catcher), Park Kyung-soo (second baseman), Ahn Chi-young (right fielder), and Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder) in the starting lineup, led by pitcher William Cuevas. It was noticeable that Kim Sang-soo, who was deployed as the top hitter against LG on the 5th, was moved down to the second spot.

“Alford (batting first) was good for (opposing starter) Casey Kelly,” Lee said, “and (Kim) Sang-soo is our most stable shortstop, so I kept him in the game. We put her at second to give her a little bit of a cushion.”