The first home run of the season came too late.”
Ha Jae-hoon (32, SSG Landers) calculated the ‘first home run date’ based on the number of team games (45 games) and said, “It’s late.”
However, based on the number of games he played in, he hit home runs pretty quickly.
Ha Jae-hoon started for the first time this season in an away game against Doosan Bears, a professional baseball game held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 26th, and hit his first home run of the season.
On this day, he went 4 at-bats with 3 hits and 3 RBIs.
On the 24th, Ha Jae-hoon, who first came up to the first team and played as a substitute against the LG Twins in Incheon on the 25th, scored 1 hit in 1 at bat.
SSG’s anticipation for Ha Jae-hoon, a ‘Geopo outfielder’, is also growing.
Ha Jae-hoon suffered a broken shoulder blade injury in Okinawa, Japan on March 1st, when the first evaluation game of the spring camp was held.
The head of his left shoulder blade was fractured, so medical staff recommended Ha Jae-hoon to ‘absolute rest for six weeks’.
During the first half, there was also a prospect that it would be difficult to return to the first team.
However, Ha Jae-hoon turned his rehabilitation clock quickly.
Ha Jae-hoon, who met after the game on the 26th, recalled, “Even with a bandage on my shoulder, I did all the training I could. The doctor discouraged me from overdoing it, but I couldn’t stand it.”
As much as the pain decreased, Ha Jae-hoon’s long hitting power quickly recovered.
Ha Jae-hoon, who started as the 7th hitter and left fielder, hit a left fielder in the top of the 3rd inning, hit a double that flew near the right outfield wall in the 5th inning, and in the last at-bat with 2 outs 1st and 2nd base in the 9th inning, the distance of 115m went over the left wall. 3 stores exploded. His batting speed was 174.6 km/h.
“I was more focused because it was my first start. I wanted to hit a home run from the first at-bat,” said Ha Jae-hoon with a grin. I just think I need to do better,” he said.
Ha Jae-hoon, who played an active role as a hitter in the American professional baseball minor league and Japanese professional baseball, joined SK Wyverns (predecessor of SSG) in 2019 and played as a pitcher and took first place in salvation (36 saves).
However, he later struggled with a shoulder injury and turned to hitter in 2022.
Ha Jae-hoon,메이저놀이터 who posted a batting average of 0.215, 6 homers, and 13 RBIs in the KBO League last year, joined Geelong Korea in the 2022-2023 Australian Professional League, which was held in the Korean professional baseball off-season, and hit 11 homers in 21 games.
As Ha Jae-hoon returned to the first team, SSG secured the ‘Uta Geopo’.
Ha Jae-hoon’s answer was as exciting as the power of the ball.
Ha Jae-hoon said, “I haven’t gotten all the senses in defense and hitting yet. There is only one thing left to do better.”