Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Yasiel Puig (35) is maintaining his hot hitting in an exhibition game in Taiwan.
On the 22nd, Puig started as the second left fielder in an exhibition match against the Rakuten Monkeys at Chiayi County Stadium, recording 1 hit and 1 RBI in 2 at-bats.
In his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with one out, Puig flew out to center field, but with two outs and a runner on second base while Kiwoom was ahead 2-0, he launched a powerful hit. The bullet-like ball hit the wall directly and turned into a 1-RBI double. With Puig's 1-RBI double, Kiwoom expanded their lead to 3-0. Puig was then substituted for Lee Yong-kyu and finished the game. Kiwoom ended in a 4-4 draw, concluding the exhibition games in Taiwan with 1 draw and 1 loss.
Puig is a strong hitter with a career batting average of .277 over 861 Major League games (3,015 at-bats, 834 hits), 132 home runs, 415 RBIs, 441 runs scored, and 79 stolen bases, with an OPS of .823. Having not played in the Major Leagues since 2019, Puig joined Kiwoom in 2022, making his debut in the KBO League. He played 126 games with a batting average of .277 (473 at-bats, 131 hits), 21 home runs, 73 RBIs, 65 runs, 6 stolen bases, and an OPS of .841, leading Kiwoom to the Korean Series, but ultimately failed to renew his contract after the season due to being embroiled in a lawsuit related to illegal sports betting.
After failing to renew his contract, Puig continued his playing career in the Mexican League, Dominican Winter League, and Venezuelan Winter League for the next two years. This season, he returned to Korea by signing a contract worth $1 million (about 1.4 billion won) with Kiwoom. Kiwoom decided to sign him after confirming that there were no issues with Puig playing in overseas leagues.
As Puig is expected to lead Kiwoom's offensive lineup, he has shown good hitting form from the exhibition games. He recorded a hit in the first exhibition game against the Chinatrust Brothers on the 20th, and in this game, he continued his hitting streak with a long hit in a scoring position, marking hits in two consecutive games.
In an interview on the 20th, Puig remarked, “I’m really happy to meet the team and teammates I played with three years ago. When I return to Korea, I will do my best to get the team to the postseason again. I worked hard during the winter with trainers in Miami and prepared diligently in Arizona. I also intend to keep working hard in Taiwan.”
In the first half of 2022, Puig recorded a batting average of .245 (261 at-bats, 64 hits), 9 home runs, 37 RBIs, 34 runs, 5 stolen bases, and an OPS of .741, which was disappointing compared to his reputation. However, in the second half, he batted .316 (212 at-bats, 67 hits), with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, 31 runs, 1 stolen base, and an OPS of .962, showcasing an impressive performance. Having already gone through the adjustment period in the KBO League, he is determined to achieve good results from the first half this season.
When asked if he feels bigger than when he played for Kiwoom three years ago, Puig joked, “My body is a gift from God,” and added, “My performance in the first half of 2022 was unsatisfactory. This year, I want to perform consistently from the first half through the second half. I really hate losing. Kiwoom finished in the bottom 10 for two consecutive years while I was away, so my new goal is to lead the team to fall baseball again. Call me the Black Angel.”
Now that Puig's role as a veteran has become important, he stated, “I know that I also have to take on my role as a veteran. I have seen many young players training until 10 or 11 p.m. at hotels in Arizona. Initially, I advised them to rest at the dorm and forget about baseball for a while, but now I have been inspired and sometimes train with them.”
Since finishing second in the Korean Series in 2022, Kiwoom has remained at the bottom for two consecutive years, and this year, the forecast is that fall baseball will be difficult. This is because Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) moved to the Major Leagues last winter, and this winter, Kim Hye-sung (Los Angeles Dodgers) also left for the Major Leagues.
However, Puig noted, “In 2022, people said we wouldn’t make it to fall baseball, but it felt really good to reach the Korean Series. Every time I hear such remarks, it motivates me. We have to do better than the last two years, and if we all do our best together, we can make it to fall baseball. I had to wait two years to come to Korea. I don’t want to leave too soon.”