It is such a precious at-bat, but two at-bats were deleted in the blink of an eye after just 6 pitches.
Kim Hye-sung played in the 6th inning in a spring training exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on the 1st (Korea time), but he recorded no hits in 2 at-bats with 2 strikeouts, bringing his spring training batting average down to .071 (1 hit in 17 at-bats) with a total of 7 strikeouts.
Kim Hye-sung played as a defensive replacement at second base in the top of the 6th inning. His turn at-bat came immediately in the bottom of the 6th inning. With 1 out and no runners on base, he faced right-handed pitcher Chase Silseth of the Angels. Kim Hye-sung swung and missed at the first pitch, an 80.2 mph low curve. He watched the second pitch, a splitter that hit the lower part of the strike zone on the outside. 2 strikes. Although he watched the third pitch, a falling splitter, he swung at the fourth pitch, an 86.6 mph splitter that dropped on the outside, and struck out.
In the bottom of the 8th inning with 2 outs and runners on first base, he faced his second at-bat. He was up against left-handed pitcher Victor Gonzalez. However, Kim Hye-sung appeared at the plate with 1 strike already due to a pitch clock violation. He watched the first pitch, a high 84.2 mph slider, but received a strike call. Unfortunately, he fell behind with 2 strikes, and ultimately swung and missed at an 85.4 mph slider that missed the zone. Due to the pitch clock violation, his at-bat ended after just 2 pitches. For Kim Hye-sung, both precious at-bats ended in vain. As he experiences a slump at the plate, various rumors are circulating about his status. Both Director General Brandon Gomes and Manager Dave Roberts are reportedly holding off on allowing Kim Hye-sung to participate in the opening game, leading to discussions that he may start the season in the minor leagues.
Kim Hye-sung is in the process of completely changing his batting form. He has not yet adapted to the new form. In an interview with "The Athletic," Kim Hye-sung mentioned that he is currently at "only 20-30%" in terms of adaptation. With the need to face more at-bats to internalize his batting form, the loss of these two precious at-bats came in vain.
Meanwhile, the game marked the return of Shohei Ohtani to the spring training exhibition games. Ohtani, who was selected as the designated hitter, celebrated his return by launching a solo home run as the lead-off batter in the bottom of the 1st inning. He swung mercilessly against Yusei Kikuchi, a senior from Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. After a full count battle, he sent a 93.9 mph fastball over the fence. Ohtani then handled two more at-bats, recording 1 home run and 1 strikeout in 3 at-bats before exiting the game.
The game ended with a walk-off victory of 6-5 thanks to a 2-run double by promising catcher Dalton Rushing in the bottom of the 9th inning with 1 out and runners on first and second.
[OSEN = reporter Jo Hyung-rae]