"Forgotten Being," has returned

Veteran Seo Geon-chang (35, KIA Tigers) is back.

Seo Geon-chang started the KT Wiz away game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 3rd as the 7th batter and 2nd baseman, and recorded 3 hits (one home run) and 2 runs and 3 RBIs in 4 times at bat, leading his team to a 5-1 victory. He raised his batting average to 0.500 (7 hits in 14 times at bat) with his second three-hit game of the season following the game against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 31st of last month.

He lacked a triple due to his cycling hit (hit for the cycle). Seo started the game with a timely hit to the left in the top of the second inning when his team was losing 0 to 1 with runners on the first and third bases with one out. At the second batter's box, he displayed a thrilling experience. At the top of the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on the first base, he rolled up KT starter Um Sang-baek's third pitch of 133 kilometers/h changeup to hit the right fence. The flying distance of the homer was 115 meters. Seo's first homerun in 560 days since the match against KIA in Gwangju on Sept. 21, 2022, when he was a member of the LG Twins.

Seo also turned the bat hard in his third at bat. With the team leading 3-1 with runners on first and one out in the top of the sixth inning, he garnered a double to the right-center field against the KT bullpen's sovereignty. With the ball count at 2-ball-1 strike, he hit a fastball at 138 km/h for the fourth pitch, leading to a long hit. Having had a chance to hit the second and third bases with one out, Kia sealed the game with Kim Tae-gun's timely two-run hit. Seo, who lacked a triple due to his cycling hit, attempted to set a milestone in the top of the eighth inning, but was out after hitting a fly to the center field.

In recent years, Seo has been a "forgotten being." In 2014, Seo became the MVP of the regular season by achieving 200 hits for the first time in the KBO league history. However, his performance declined starting in 2021. His trademark accurate batting performance disappeared, and even worse, he suffered minor injuries. As a result, he had no choice but to give up his free agent right for three consecutive years last winter. Leaving the LG Twins aside, Seo's choice was Kia, his hometown team.

"(The home run) was hit from a good point. I felt a little bit right at the moment when I got hit," Seo said after the game on Thursday. "I am playing baseball at ease. There is nothing else except that I prepared well in the winter. I am thinking that I prepared well."

"As the results come out, I feel confident and focused on the baseball field," he said. "I needed time to get to know good coaches and batting coaches from the spring camp, and I had a lot of that time, and I think it has a good synergy effect."

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