Can 50 home runs be bombed together? The league's only foreign hitter duo has a good start
Feb 20, 2025
|
|
Kiwoom Heroes lost 1-8 in a practice game against the Zhongxin Brothers at CTBC Park in Pingdong, Kaohsiung, Taiwan on the 20th.
Although he lost, the meaning of victory or defeat was not as significant as it was a practice game. Starting with rookie pitcher Jung Hyun-woo in the first round, Kiwoom sent out young pitchers one inning each to check their senses as if they were performing their tasks. Batters also went out to start in the beginning and left early, followed by other players checking their condition by position.
The foreign batters looked in good condition. Kiwoom was the only player in the KBO League this season to have a trio of foreigners with one pitcher and two batters. It's a pretty rare case. Following Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-sung also entered the Major League, and the plan is to reinforce the loose lineup with strong batters.
|
Two batters have the skills to expect more than 50 home runs combined. Puig had 21 homers and 73 RBIs in nearly full-time games when he played for Kiwoom in the 2022 season. Considering that it was his first season, he failed to show his skills in the first half of the season to adapt to the league atmosphere or the style of pitchers, and showed his skills in the second half, this year may be different from the start.
Cardinez left the team with injuries after playing only seven games for the Samsung Lions last year, but he hit two home runs with a huge distance in seven games. He is a batter of the "if you get it right", and this year, he recovered perfectly from his side injury last year and has been together since the camp, so he is expected to be able to adapt quickly.
|
First of all, it's a good start. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said, `All the players are in the stage of improving their condition. He must have paid attention to adjusting his senses as it was his first game. "As we continue to play, we will become more and more accustomed to it."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
