It was half effective. This is the story of catcher Kim Jae-seong (27, Samsung Lions), who started as a first baseman in his debut.
Kim Jae-seong started as the 6th hitter and first baseman in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ kt Wiz match held at Suwon kt Wiz Park on the 17th.메이저사이트
Kim Jae-seong became the first first baseman after his professional debut. According to the baseball statistics site ‘Staties’, Kim Jae-seong went on defense in 433⅓ innings of 94 out of 143 games in his career. All were catchers. There was no record of first baseman or outfield appearance.
Even if he is a first baseman with less defensive pressure, he is not in an easy ball position. In particular, Samsung’s Yasu-jin has shown unstable defense several times recently, so stabilizing the defense was the biggest challenge. Entrusting Kim Jae-seong with the unfamiliar first base entailed several risks.
It was clear why Jae-Sung Kim was chosen as the first baseman despite many risks. It was an attack boost. This year, Kim Jae-seong recorded a batting average of 0.200 (4 hits in 20 at-bats), but last year’s batting average was 0.335 (54 hits in 161 at-bats), revealing his presence as a bat. The Samsung bench tried to actively utilize Kim Jae-sung’s batting ability. Regarding defensive ability, defensive coach Son Joo-in explained before the game, “Kim Jae-seong has been practicing as a first baseman in his spare time recently.”
▲ Kim Jae-seong achieved 100% of the goal of strengthening the batting line with 3 hits in 4 at-bats. ⓒSamsung Lions
Samsung Bench’s choice was a hit. Kim Jae-seong took his first at-bat after two outs in the top of the second inning and scored a right-handed hit against opposing starter William Cuevas. It was the team’s first hit.
In the second at-bat, he opened the way for a comeback. The team was tied to Cuevas’ good pitch and did not create any scoring opportunities until the 4th inning. It was all 2 hits. However, Kim Jae-seong pierced the clogged blood in the top of the 5th inning. He started off as the leadoff hitter and hit a double that went down the left line.
Samsung, who had a chance to score second base safely, made a 1-1 tie with Kim Young-woong’s 1 RBI timely hit from 2nd base and 3rd base. Afterwards, Kim Hyun-jun’s 1st RBI and Jose Pirella’s 1st RBI double came out from 2nd out, 1st and 2nd base, and took a 3-1 lead.
Kim Jae-seong hit another long hit in his last at-bat. He attacked opposing setup man Park Young-hyeon and hit a double through left-center to get into scoring position. On this day, Kim Jae-sung’s final score was 4 at-bats, 3 hits and 1 point, and he certainly did his part in the attack.
It was a bit disappointing on defense. It worked well, but a mistake came out at the end.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, when the team was leading 5-3, Anthony Alford’s hit ball headed for the shortstop with 2 out on 2nd base. Shortstop Lee Jae-hyeon caught the ball and threw it quickly to first base, but it bounced, and first baseman Kim Jae-seong failed to catch the ball and threw it backwards. In the meantime, the runner on second base went home on third base, and Samsung lost an extra run. As Samsung chased down the line at the end of the game, 6-5, it could have been regrettable that the extra point was given by Alford at bat in the bottom of the 7th inning.
As of the 17th, Samsung is the only team with three catchers in the first team entry. There are many veteran catchers, including the master of the house Kang Min-ho (38) and Kim Tae-gun (34). Will Samsung’s decision to utilize all of its strong catchers have an effect?
