"Multi-hit performance against Hanwha." Kim Hwi-jip said, "I'm not relieved. I hope it will be an opportunity to rebound."

"Multi-hit performance against Hanwha." Kim Hwi-jip said, "I'm not relieved. I hope it will be an opportunity to rebound."

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NC Dinos infielder Kim Hui-jip contributed to the team's victory with multi-hit performances.스포츠토토

Kim Hui-jip started as the ninth batter and first baseman in Game 5 of the season against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 21st, and played 2 hits, 1 RBI, and 1 run in 3 at-bats.

Kim struck out as a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third inning, but recovered his disappointment at his second at-bat. He had a hit off Kim Jong-soo with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. He advanced to second base when Kim had a walk, and even scored when Kim Joo-won had a hit.

Kim was on base with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and had multiple runs on base. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with two outs and runners on the first and second bases, Kim had a heavy hit in a showdown with Lee Tae-yang, inviting second baseman Kim Hyung-joon to his home ground. NC defeated Hanwha 5-2 thanks to Kim's performance and avenged its defeat on the previous day.
After the game, Kim told reporters, "Both teams tried their best to win from the beginning, but I'm glad they won. I'm not so relieved that I had a hit in a long time. I'm glad."

Kim Hwi-jip also said, "(Park) Gun-woo told me a lot of good things for 10 minutes before the game. Thank you not only for Gunwoo, but also for all the older brothers and employees for saying good things."

Kim started the season smoothly by posting a batting average of 0.263, one homerun and three RBIs from 19 times at bat in March, but suffered from severe slump by posting a batting average of 0.161, two homers and six RBIs from 62 times at bat last month. The trend has continued through May. He has overcome his disappointment by making mistakes in defense as well. As of Tuesday, Kim's performance in this season is 22 hits from 129 times at bat in 43 games, with a batting average of 0.171, four homers, 12 RBIs and a slugging percentage of 0.262.
Kim is making efforts to find a breakthrough in both ball and defense. Before the game, he sweated a lot with NC manager Lee Ho-joon. "I think Kim will be able to make a good hit as early as today (April 21)," NC manager Lee Ho-joon told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.

Kim Hwi-jip said, "I think I entered the game after hitting nearly 300 with the coach. In fact, I don't think changing the batting form itself should be done during the season, but now that I've come this far, I've changed the batting form because I feel like it's stupid to do the same," he said. "The coach and the batting coach must have been stressed out, so I'm grateful."

"I think if you make a mistake in defense, it will affect (the hitting). It wasn't that I was confident because I couldn't hit, but it was rather embarrassing because I kept making mistakes in defense. I even bullied myself, but this is something I had to overcome."

Kim has been exercising more than usual lately. "If I stay still, I feel lethargic, and the only way I can relieve my stress is through exercise. It's the same now," he said. "I don't think exercising a lot during the season is very helpful because of the risk of injury, but now I think mental health comes first. Even if I exercise too much, I don't have any thoughts. That's why I exercised a lot. I think I should come out to the ballpark without feeling lethargic."

NC's faith in Kim Hwi-jip remains. Kim Hwi-jip says that he wants to meet the team's expectations. "I hope today's economy will be an opportunity to rebound," Kim Hwi-jip said, vowing to play well in the future.