The pitch hit the catcher’s mitt on the ground, but it was a strikeout. Kim Jae-hwan (36, Dusan Bears) eventually threw down his bat, and it was with great regret.
It was the worst season of his career. He signed a four-year, $11.5 billion contract after the 2021 season as a free agent, but hit just 10 home runs in 132 games last year. It was a career-low season after making the leap to the big leagues.
After gritting his teeth and dreaming of a rebound last year, Kim Jae-hwan is finally returning to the Jamsil home run king we all knew.
In 68 games this season, Kim is batting .270 with 14 home runs, 47 RBIs, a .356 on-base percentage, a .511 slugging percentage, and a .867 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
After winning the home run title in 2018 with 44 home runs while calling Jamsil home, Kim has been on a downward spiral since then, but last year was a big one. After the season, Kim volunteered to take part in final training, and after taking a break, he went to study abroad at the Kang Jeong-ho Academy at his own expense.
“It’s not that I found something new, but rather that I tried something new last year,” said Kim, who traveled to Sydney, Australia, for spring camp after Korea and the United States, “and I thought, ‘Oh, I used to hit like this before. He was cautious, but hopeful that this season would be different.
He got off to a strong start in March, batting .367, but hit just .200 in April. However, he did hit six home runs in the process, showing that his long ball power was back to where it once was. In May, he hit .286 with the same six home runs.
Then came June. In 12 games, he’s batting .311 (14-for-45) with 14 doubles. He’s also raised his season batting average to .270. He still only has one home run, but he’s had just as many doubles (five). He’s definitely back to being a key hitter on the team. He’s second on the team in home runs and third in RBI and OPS.
That’s exactly what happened against Kiwoom. In the top of the first inning, with runners on first and second, he hit a forked ball that fell outside the zone 토토사이트 and was retired on a grounder to the first baseman. Yang Seok-hwan’s RBI double scored two runs, but it wasn’t enough for Kim.
He was the first batter in the top of the fourth inning, when the team scored four runs to make it 2-4. After picking off the first pitch, Kim scratched his head at the second pitch, a forked ball. It looked like the ball was a little bit toward the body, but it was called a strike, and Kim looked frustrated.
Trying to keep his composure, Kim swung wildly at a fastball outside the zone on the third pitch. Facing a 1-2 pitch count, Kim exhaled heavily as he stared off into the distance. Controlling his breathing to control his mind.
But eventually, emotions got the better of him. He was called out on a low, four-pitch forkball for a strike. Kim Jae-hwan threw his bat in the direction of home plate to vent his anger. He didn’t appeal to the umpire, but sighed heavily and retreated to the dugout, knowing that the call would not be changed.
The strike zone picture on the replay showed that the second pitch was further away from the body and didn’t appear to be in the zone, or it could have been seen as a very fine line at the end of the zone, but Kim Jae-hwan was not happy with the call. Moreover, the pitch was the opposite of the pitch that Kim Gun-hee, the catcher of Kiwoom, was sitting outside, so it felt like a ball to Kim Jae-hwan. Kim’s mitt was stuck in the ground as he tried to catch the 파워볼게임 reverse pitch. Kim, who momentarily thought it was a ball and was about to throw it to the pitcher, was also seen throwing the ball to the third baseman when the strikeout call was made.
Even if the final pitch is not in the strike zone, it is not a ball. Under the ABS system, which was introduced this season, a pitch can be called a strike even if it crosses two imaginary zones, and Ha’s forked ball had a large drop, which allowed it to pass through the first zone of the ABS and be called a strike.
With the introduction of the ABS system this season, there have been a number of cases where players have been unhappy with the call. Hitters have become even more frustrated when they see pitches that were previously called strikes and seemingly out of their hands being called strikes.
While there is certainly a disconnect from the past year on the field, fans feel differently. At the very least, hitters have to adapt to the fact that the same calls are made under the same standards, regardless of the team or player. The main reaction is that the lack of contested calls compared to last year has made baseball more enjoyable to watch.
After the start of the season, Doosan played 73 games. The season has turned a corner. There”s still half a season to go, but if players can”t shake off their distrust of ABS, it”s going to hurt their performance. His power and contact are returning to their previous levels. To fully return to his old self, Kim will have to adapt to the unfamiliarity of ABS.