'Veteran' Jeon Jun-woo's bat wakes up to top monthly batting average despite 'body aches'

 Lotte Giants' Jeon Jun-woo was on fire throughout the weekend series. He went 7-for-12 with a home run and four RBIs. He even hit his sixth home run of the season.

Lotte finished the three-game series against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 16-18 with a 1-2 record, snapping a four-game losing streak. However, they managed to snap the four-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory on the 18th.

Jeon's role in Lotte's victory was crucial.

After going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI on the first day of the series, Jun-woo went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs the next day, his second four-hit game of the season. On the 18th, he had two hits, including a solo home run off Roenis Elias.

"We had an ace pitcher, and I didn't think we were going to score a lot of runs," he said after the game, adding, "I was lucky to get a home run early on, so it was easy."

After slowly picking up his pace in late April, Jun-woo has slowed down a bit in the last month.

However, he broke out of his slump with a 12-game hitting streak, starting on June 23 against the Sasik NC Dinos. In June alone, he is 16-for-59 with 24 doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, and a 1.120 OPS in 16 games, which is tops in the league.

"I talked a lot with my hitting coach about direction and timing when I hit, and I think I'm getting better and better at that," he said. 

What's even more surprising is that he's been hitting well despite being out of shape.

During the Samsung Lions' three-game series against Daegu on Sept. 9-11, Jeon felt unwell and received a ringer at the hospital, and was left out of the starting lineup for the 10th game. However, he came in as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning and hit a run-scoring single, 토토사이트 earning the trust of Lotte manager Larry Sutton by fulfilling his role as a veteran.

"I wasn't in the best shape last week and this week because of my body, but I thought a lot about timing, and I kept typing that in my head, so I got a lot of good hits," Jeon said with a smile.