At first, I thought it was an event, but it wasn’t. The KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) is experimenting with catcher Baekho Kang. After playing outfield, first base, and designated hitter since his professional debut, manager Lee Kang-cheol decided to transform Kang Baek-ho, 25, into a catcher this season.
In the bottom of the eighth inning of a 13-1 loss at home to Hanwha on March 31, Kang suddenly took the field wearing a catcher’s mask and protective gear. He replaced Jang Jang-woo (34), the starting catcher. Kang played two innings as catcher, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, after Hanwha’s Lim Jong-chan singled to right, he made a spectacular catch of an errant throw from the right fielder that prevented the runner from advancing. After the game, manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “I tried it once,” and “I don’t know if I’ll do it again,” but he added, “Everyone said it went well together.”
In the home games against KIA on the 3rd and 4th, Kang Baek-ho saw the catcher from the 8th inning. In particular, in the 4th game, he made a quick and strong throw to second base when KIA runner Park Chan-ho tried to steal with one out in the top of the 9th inning. However, due to unfamiliarity, the throw went high and Park went to third base. Fortunately, 안전놀이터 he was able to get the next two batters to ground out to prevent further runs.
The day before,
Lee said, “(Baekho Kang) has strong shoulders, and his throwing is better when he catches than when he plays the outfield. His body is optimized for catching.” Before the season, Lee said, “Catcher framing is no longer meaningful. You have to have a catcher who can block and throw well,” Lee said before the season.
Framing is a technical catching technique in which a catcher catches a ball thrown by a pitcher and makes it look like a strike to the umpire. For a long time, it was considered an important measure of a catcher’s value, requiring skill. However, this season, it became much less important when the KBO introduced the automated pitch judgment system (ABS), which is often referred to as a “robot umpire”. This is because ABS measures the position, speed, and trajectory of the ball against a consistent strike zone. Catchers just need to catch the ball well, and that’s one less obstacle for the “strongest catcher” to overcome.
KT is desperate for catcher Kang Baek-ho,
Not only because the backup catchers aren’t good enough, but also to keep their veteran hitters healthy. Kang Baek-ho actually made a name for himself as a catcher and pitcher in high school (Seoul High). Among KT’s pitchers, Baekhoe’s upper body stands up straight, making his strike zone look very wide.
The game was won by KIA 6-3 over KT, thanks to a strong pitching performance by Lee Yi-ri (5 innings, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts), who won his second straight game. In Daejeon, Hanwha pulled off a thrilling 6-5 comeback win over Lotte, thanks in large part to a three-run homer by Peraza, 바카라사이트 who hit the tying run. In Incheon, SSG beat Doosan 3-2 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning in extra innings. In Jamsil, NC and LG battled to extra innings before LG won 8-7 in the bottom of the 11th on a walk-off single by Koo Bon-hyuk.