Kim Hyun-soo goes 0 for 3 in Orioles debut
.jpg?w=728)
Baltimore Orioles’ Kim Hyun-soo swings at a pitch in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Champions Stadium in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Tuesday. / AP-Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Kim Hyun-soo went 0 for 3, Tuesday, in his team’s exhibition opener against the Atlanta Braves at Champions Stadium in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Though he was hitless, Kim, who joined the Major League Baseball (MLB) team this season with a two-year contract worth $7 million, batted cleanup and began building off the experience of his debut season.
The Orioles left fielder said “It was very comfortable. Everything was OK.”
“I was nervous a bit and I was thinking too much going to the plate. I was thinking about too many movements of the pitches, and I wasn’t able to really perform the best things I have at the plate,” he said.
The game ended in a 4-4 tie with an extra 10th inning. The Orioles manager Buck Showalter disclosed his intention to give Kim more opportunity during spring training. “I’d like to expose him to as much as I can if he goes north with us so that a lot of this stuff is behind us.”
Kim, the first Korean player to join the majors from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) via free agency, is scheduled to start in his team’s next match against the Braves on Thursday (KST).
Kim, Park recognized by US media
Along with Park Byung-ho, who joined the Minnesota Twins on a four-year deal worth $12 million this offseason, Kim has been recognized as a noticeable position player by U.S. sports channel ESPN.
On Wednesday, ESPN included Kim and Park in the list of “position players to watch closely this spring,” introducing Kim with a strong on-base percentage and Park as a slugging hitter.
Park, a two-time MVP in the KBO, will likely play in his team’s exhibition opener against the Boston Red Sox today (KST).