SSG Landers catcher Lee Ji-young (38), who sank “Chinjung” with three hits against the Kiwoom Heroes, the team she played for until last year, was more for the pitchers’ hearts than her own.
Lee went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored to help the SSG Landers come from behind to win 8-5 against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Monday.
Lee, who was at the center of a dynasty with the Samsung Lions in the mid-2010s, played for Kiwoom from the 2019 season until last year.
He was durable even in his 30s and contributed significantly to Kiwoom’s Korean Series runner-up finish in 2022. However, he was unable to compete with high school rookie Kim Dong-heon last year and was reduced to a backup role.
After becoming eligible for free agency for the second time after the 2023 season, Lee made a deliberate decision to join SSG. Lee first signed a two-year contract with Kiwoom for a total of 400 million won ($400 million), then donned the SSG jersey through a sign-and-trade.
After showing her mettle in spring training, Lee Ji-young pushed aside Park Dae-on, Kim Min-sik, and Shin Beom-soo to make the opening roster alongside Cho Hyung-woo and has been wearing the starting mask ever since.
This was her first game against Kiwoom after joining SSG, and she fought fiercely, putting old feelings aside.
He stole second and third in the first inning, but came around to score on a grounder to right to make it 3-2. Go Myung-joon and Kim Sung-hyun followed with walks and Choi Ji-hoon’s RBI single.
Lee Ji-young, who added a hit in the sixth, singled with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to tie the game at 5-5. She then stole second on a grounder to shortstop by Choi Ji-hoon and came around to score on a throwing error by Kim Hwijip of 메이저사이트 Kiwoom.
“I always try to hit the ball in the center of the bat, so I’m happy to have three hits today,” said Lee after the game.
“I’m happy, but I’m also disappointed that I couldn’t help Oh Won-seok, who started the game, get the win,” said the catcher, who supported the junior pitcher.
“I felt sorry for the pitchers as we gave up a lot of runs during the three-game series against the NC Dinos over the weekend, and I think we need to improve through this process,” said Lee Ji-young, adding, “I will always try to make sure that the pitchers can always trust the catcher to throw the ball.”