Seoul: Freshly minted as the new leadoff man for the LG Twins, Shin Min-jae is wielding a hot bat lately. Shin extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a three-hit effort Wednesday, as the Twins defeated the NC Dinos 9-8 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Shin has had three hits in a game five times this season, and four of them have come this month. This was Shin's 11th consecutive start at the leadoff spot this season and his 14th overall, with the incumbent Hong Chang-ki ruled out for the season with a knee injury. In those 14 games, Shin is batting .339 with a .406 on-base percentage, compared with his overall marks of a .285 batting average and a .386 on-base percentage.

Shin only has three extra-base hits-all of them doubles-this year, and he still hasn't hit a home run in 507 career games. But the Twins will take it as long as the 29-year-old keeps slapping those singles, drawing walks, and scoring runs from the top of their order.

"I don't really care where I hit in the lineup. I just focus on handling different pitchers," Shin said after Wednesday's win. "I am feeling good at the plate, but rather than swinging at every pitch, I try to get on base any way I can."

Shin said the key to his success is to try to ensure he won't miss fastballs in the zone. "I look to get my timing down on fastballs, and luckily, I've been able to hit breaking balls, too," he said. "I try to pick my spots and swing aggressively when I can."

Shin said he wasn't paying much attention to his hitting streak, the longest active streak in the Korea Baseball Organization at the moment. "I just want to help the team win," he said. "If I don't get a hit one day, I can always go for two or three hits the next day. As the leadoff man, I want to reach base as often as I can because I get the most plate appearances."