From good to great, back to one… Choi Hyung-woo’s words to Lee Woo-sung were.

Reporter Yoon Seo Park = “You become a star by overcoming.”

Lee Woo-sung was drafted by the Doosan Bears with the 15th pick in the second round in 2013 and made his first-team debut in 2016. He then played for the NC Dinos before joining KIA via trade in 2019. Primarily a backup outfielder, Lee has never played more than 85 games in a season.

However, he is having a year to remember this year. After the injury to star outfielder Na Sung-bum in the first half of the season, the “luxury supporting cast” has filled in nicely.

After hitting .292 in April, Lee took over the starting role in May. In 21 games in May, Lee lived up to expectations, hitting .302 with three home runs, five RBIs, and an OPS of .857.

June was also hot. In 23 games, Lee hit .318 with one home run, 15 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.786. He also recorded seven multi-hit games during the month.

He finished the first half with a .289 batting average, five home runs, 24 RBIs, and a .760 OPS in 65 games, earning him his first career All-Star selection.

However, Lee’s bat cooled off in July. He remained the starting left fielder after the return of Na Sung-bum, but was limited to two hits in 18 at-bats. Lee went hitless in the final two games of the first half, dropping his batting average to just 0.111 in July. As a result, he failed to hit .333 in the first half.

Choi Hyung-woo, the team’s most senior player, sympathised with Lee’s first half. Choi Hyung-woo is another star who saw the light late in his career.

“He looks similar to me,” Choi said, laughing, “(Lee) is a similar case to me. When I came back from the army, I wasn’t a starter right away, I played as a substitute.”카지노사이트

“Some players are good from the start, but I’m more attached to Woo Sung-yi. He must have put in a lot of effort because he doesn’t get the chance very often. I want to take good care of him,” he said.

Choi Hyung-woo also gave Lee Woo-sung some heartfelt advice. He said, “You’ve done so well so far. You can’t help but have a slump, anyone can have a slump,” he said, adding, “You have to overcome yourself. If you overcome it, you will become a star. The important thing is to do well from now on,” he encouraged.