'200 hits' without objection to the 'best ever' modifier..."A new Korean record of 202 hits, I really want to achieve it." Reyes is also greedy

'200 hits' without objection to the 'best ever' modifier..."A new Korean record of 202 hits, I really want to achieve it." Reyes is also greedy

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Lotte Giants Victor Reyes started the 16th game of the season between the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League KIA Tigers and the team at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 28th, two face-offs at home, and one hit and one run from five times at bat.토토사이트

Lotte, of course, is the best foreign hitter in KBO League history. Reyes, who wore Lotte's uniform before this season, challenged 200 hits with full support from head coach Kim Tae-hyung from the Hanwha Eagles game on the 22nd. It meant to produce hits in more at-bats, moving the batting order from No. 4 to No. 2. Reyes took the step toward 200 hits by hitting multi-hitters in the first game of changing the batting order.

In particular, in the match against the Doosan Bears in Sajik on the 26th, he scored one hit each against Kwak Bin and Lee Byung-hun, surpassing "Jong Bum-shin" Lee Jong-beom (196 hits) and Jose Miguel Fernandez (197 hits) in 2019 to become the third-highest hit in KBO League history. And in a showdown with the NC Dinos on the 27th, he succeeded in matching Fernandez's record in 2020 by exploding his 199th hit in his first at-bat against starting pitcher Lim Sang-hyun.

Initially, manager Kim Tae-hyung attempted to create an environment where he could focus only on hitting to achieve the record by deploying Reyes as a designated hitter at the same time. However, Reyes declined to say so. He said playing defense is better for his balance. Some players want to maintain concentration by playing defense at the same time as designated hitters, and Reyes was one of them. However, there was a change in the game on Friday.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung placed Reyes in the designated hitter slot. In an interview with reporters before the game, the head coach said, "Reyes does not play defense but plays as a designated hitter. He says he needs to play defense to have good balance, but he seems to have a heavy body." It was his full support and consideration to create an environment where he could only focus on at-bats even a little. As a result, Reyes made the second record in KBO league history.

Reyes, who only grounded out to Kia Tigers starter Yoon Young-chul in his first at-bat, was different in his second at-bat. After watching the first pitch, he exited the strike zone on the second pitch and threw the bat to a fastball that was penetrating his body. As the missed hit passed the height of the second baseman and fell in front of the center field, his 200th hit was finally produced. Reyes became the second player in the KBO league to post Seo Geon-chang (201 hits) when he was playing for the Nexen Heroes in 2014, and the first foreign player to post 200 hits. This was a moment that led to the record of most hits by a foreign player.

Reyes, who recorded his 200th hit, now challenged for the most hits in the KBO League while not only matching Seo Geon-chang but also throwing out, but no additional hits were found in the ensuing at-bat. Reyes sent a hit to shortstop in his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning after being grounded out by a pitcher in his third at-bat, but was recorded as an error, and ended up hitting a grounder. And in the bottom of the eighth inning, he grounded out to the first base in the final at-bat of the regular inning as the leadoff batter, ending the game with one hit in five at-bats.

Although he made his name in history for the second time in the KBO League, Reyes first expressed his regret about his elimination from the postseason. "Most of all, it's a season where I feel a lot of regret not being able to advance to the postseason," he said. "I produce a lot of hits and get personal records, but I think this record is meaningful only when it leads to the team's victory and advance to the postseason." Still, since he achieved 200 hits, he was determined to seek a new record.

Reyes said, "I was very happy to come out today after I thought I would get 200 hits or not. I was able to produce a lot of hits because they gave me a chance to enter the batter's box consistently," adding, "The 202 hit is a new KBO record, and I want to achieve it as much as the coach, coach and the team have given me consideration. I will try to focus on every at-bat in the last game."

 

He produced numerous hits in the KBO League, but it was also his 200th that was memorable. He said, "All of the 200 hits are memorable, but the happiest hit was my 200th hit today. I've also heard that it's the most foreign hits in a single season, but I want to make two or more hits in the last game."

Reyes has only one chance left. He will play against the NC Dinos on Oct. 1. It is uncertain how many times he will be able to take the batter's box, but he has to record multiple hits to renew the KBO league history. Notably, not playing consecutive games for the first time in a while could be a factor. Resting can boost the batting average for the better, but it can also reduce the feeling that it is not bad. The key is how to maintain the batting average during the two days of rest.