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Lee Jong-Bum on verge of hitting .300

Posted August. 18, 2000 13:56,   

한국어

It took just three years for a Korean baseball prodigy to become accustomed to Japanese baseball.

Like his fellow players such as the retired Sun Dong-Yeol and Lee Sang-Hoon, pitching for the Boston Red Socks under the name Samson Lee, Lee Jong-Bum had to experience numerous trials and errors and other ordeals to understand Japanese baseball.

In 1998, the first year he played in Japan, he had to end his season early due to an elbow injury, and last year he suffered an extreme slump in batting and even from alopecia areata. Early this season, he was sent down to the minor league, while the team, losing confidence in him, imported U.S. major leaguer David Nielson, who was expelled recently, though.

However, Lee is remarkably standing on his own feet. In the past 16 games since July 29 he was called back up to the major league, Lee has blasted 27 hits in 63 at bats for a 0.429 average with 7 RBI and one home run. The hitting streak improved his season average to 0.295 (84 for 285) as of August 16, with the goal of 0.300 within reach. Some improvement in batting skills, different from the skills he used in the first half, helped him improve the average.

He now holds the bat short to help him hit the ball accurately. Secondly, he uses a heavier bat weighing 900 grams, up 20 grams from the one he used before. It helped him increase his batting power. Thirdly, he corrected his batting stance. Now he maintains an open stance.

He said he is confident of hitting any kind of ball.



Kim Sang-Soo ssoo@donga.com