 |
| ▲ Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki plays catch before a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the LG Twins at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 7, 2023, in this photo provided by the Heroes. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
baseball club-manager
Kiwoom Heroes manager patiently waiting for offensive turnaround
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Even with his club sitting near the bottom of a few offensive categories, Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki has managed to stay patient, believing there will come a time when those bats will all get hot at the same time.
Infielder Addison Russell got off to a fine start, batting .342 and knocking in 24 runs in April. That made up for unexpected early-season woes for the reigning Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) MVP Lee Jung-hoo, who batted just .218 in April, the lowest monthly batting average of his career.
But just as Lee started heating up, going 11-for-22 to start June, Russell has cooled off. The former Chicago Cubs shortstop is mired in a 4-for-19 funk with nine strikeouts.
Compounding the problems is that Lee typically bats third in the lineup and Russell hits cleanup. Opposing pitchers can pitch around Lee and choose to face Russell instead in high-leverage situations.
That's exactly what happened in the Heroes' 5-5 tie with the LG Twins on Wednesday night at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. With two men on, the Twins walked Lee on four pitches to load the bases. Russell was lifted for a pinch hitter.
"They didn't give Jung-hoo anything to hit even with two runners on base," Hong said Thursday in his pregame scrum at Gocheok. "That tells you other teams have figured out how bad Russell is playing now. But he is trying to get out of this slump. I believe he will regain his stroke soon enough."
Some timely run support for starting pitchers would be nice, too, Hong said. Ariel Jurado, Wednesday's starter, got a no-decision despite giving up just one unearned run in six innings. He is only 3-7 for the season despite a solid 3.10 ERA.
Their top starter, An Woo-jin, has a 3-4 record but ranks second in the KBO with a 1.87 ERA.
Where the lack of run support is concerned, Hong has the same patient mindset.
"It's tough to see some of our starters not getting the support they deserve," Hong said. "But like I always say, I am sure our hitters will start driving in a few runs."
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
