Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki reported on the physical condition of foreign batter Yasiel Puig (35).
Hong said in an interview before the exhibition game against the Doosan Bears for the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' on the 15th at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, "We’ve focused a lot on the offensive part this year. Although it’s an exhibition game, it’s positive that we are ahead in team home runs."
Kiwoom has a record of 3 wins and 3 losses with a winning percentage of .500 in the exhibition games. The team has the most home runs in the league with 9, leading second-place Samsung (7 home runs) by 2.
Hong said, "I think this will be an opportunity for our team's offense to become more active. I hope it has a positive effect in the season as well." He continued about transfer signing Kim Dong-yeop, "He keeps making good hits. If he shows good form, I think he will be a big help to our lineup. He worked hard during the winter, so I believe that the process is more important than the results."
In the last game, rookie starting pitcher Kim Seo-jun struggled, recording 4 innings, 5 hits allowed (2 home runs), 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs. Jeon Jun-pyo pitched 4 innings allowing 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 1 strikeout, and 2 earned runs with a non-earned run. Hong stated, "I have been closely monitoring Kim Seo-jun since the Taiwan camp, but he seems to be preoccupied with just pitching on the mound for now. He may need more time to show his performance. Jeon Jun-pyo's velocity has not come out as much as it did in Taiwan, but he showed good crisis management skills and control. Now in his second year, last year's experience seems to be reflected in his calmness in critical situations on the mound."
On this day, Kiwoom’s starting lineup consisted of Park Joo-hong (left fielder), Ruben Cadines (right fielder), Lee Joo-hyung (center fielder), Choi Joo-hwan (first baseman), Kim Dong-yeop (designated hitter), Jeon Tae-hyun (second baseman), Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman), Kim Keon-hee (catcher), and Kim Tae-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Kenny Rosenberg.
Foreign batter Yasiel Puig has missed four games from the 11th against KT to this game. Suffering from back strain, Puig is resting to manage his condition to return fully to the field. Although he has returned home after the road schedule, he is still expected to not participate in the games.
Hong explained Puig's condition, saying, "Puig is getting better. Of course, exhibition games are important, but it’s more crucial that he remains healthy and completes the season in time for the opening next week. It’s not serious, but since he’s not fully fit, we plan to avoid overworking him."
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