Twins outfielder marks return to KBO with 1st homer of season

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Twins outfielder marks return to KBO with 1st homer of season

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- After spending the past two and a half weeks in the minor league, LG Twins outfielder Lee Jae-won marked his return to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Wednesday with a long-awaited home run.

Lee drilled a two-run home run off Doosan Bears starter Choi Seung-yong to help the Twins to a 6-1 victory at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. He had gone 1-for-16 in a dozen games before Wednesday night, a funk that prompted the Twins to demote him to their Futures League affiliate on April 20.

Lee swung a much hotter bat in the minors, going 14-for-32 with three doubles and eight RBIs, but homers remained elusive.

Lee Jae-won of the LG Twins (R) celebrates with third base coach Jung Soo-sung after hitting a two-run home run against the Doosan Bears during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on May 6, 2026, in this photo provided by the Twins. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

When two players went down with injuries Tuesday, the Twins called up Lee before Wednesday's game. And Lee made a loud statement in his first at-bat.

After an 11-pitch at-bat against Choi, Lee sent a line drive shot toward center field for his first home run in the KBO since Oct. 14, 2023.

The player that fans call the "Big Boy of Jamsil" hasn't quite lived up to the promise that he flashed in 2022, when he hit 13 home runs in 85 games. But because of his defensive limitations and lack of contact ability, Lee had to keep hitting dingers to play consistently, and couldn't quite deliver in 2023, when he had just four homers in 57 games.

Lee completed his mandatory military service from 2024 to 2025. No longer a prospect at age 26, Lee has reached a career crossroads where he has to start performing or he may fade quietly into obscurity.

Wednesday's home run, however insignificant it may seem, could get things going for Lee.

The ball left his bat at 184.2 kilometers per hour with a launch angle of 20.1 degrees. Few players in the KBO have the strength to hit that kind of a frozen rope and do so to the deepest part of Jamsil, the biggest stadium in the league.

"I just tried to take the same approach that I've had all year, including my time in the minors," Lee said. "Things haven't really changed much. I tried not to think too much out there and I think it led to good results at the plate today."

Though this was his first KBO home run in two and a half years, Lee didn't make much of it, saying, "I've hit a few homers in batting practices anyway, so the homer didn't really feel special."

As for what he'd like to accomplish the rest of the year, Lee said, "I don't know if I will be able to do this, but I would love to help our team win a championship."

Lee Jae-won of the LG Twins celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the Doosan Bears during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on May 6, 2026, in this photo provided by the Twins. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)