Kiwoom Heroes Edison Russell (29) showed his will in hitting and digested the game to the end, but in the end he couldn’t hit a hit.
Russell started as the designated hitter No. 4 in an exhibition game against the Samsung Lions of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 23rd, and recorded no hits in 4 at bats. Kiwoom lost 5-6.
Russell, who played for Kiwoom in 2020, failed to renew the contract with sluggish results with a batting average of 2.54 (62 hits in 244 bats), 2 homers, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of .643 in 65 games. However, he showed improvement in his hitting, such as hitting 24 home runs in the Mexican League last year, and Kiwoom brought Russell back in anticipation of a rebound.
Russell, who appeared with a much thicker body than when he played in 2020, was expected to have strong power. However, in the trial game, the hit is not as expected. On this day, he only recorded a batting average of 10.4 and 3 Lee (3 hits in 21 at-bats) in 9 games including the game.
Manager Hong Won-ki said in an interview before the game, “Russell was asked to go out as a designated hitter today and play a full game.안전놀이터 So today, I plan to digest as many at-bats as possible until the ninth inning as a designated hitter,” he explained, explaining that Russell volunteered to digest the full game. Although Russell showed his determination in hitting, he was silent with no hits in the game that day and failed to hit for two consecutive games.
Coach Hong Won-ki said, “The training and preparation process is going well.” There is definitely something to look forward to in the season. Because I can see positive aspects, I will try to watch a little more until the demonstration game is over.”