Kim Hye-sung of the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose batting average plummeted in July, and Dave Roberts, the manager, do not seem to be worried.
Roberts said in an interview ahead of an away game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California on the 12th (Korea time), “I still think Kim Hye-sung is showing good content at bat,” about Kim Hye-sung’s recent slump.
In July, Kim played in eight games and recorded three hits in 21 at-bats (batting average of 0.182) with one walk and eight strikeouts. The number of opportunities to play increased due to a series of injuries to the main players, but they are not playing as well. In the last three consecutive away games in Milwaukee, he recorded one hit in eight at-bats.
사진 확대 Kim Hye-sung has not had any results at bat since July. Photo = Courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images= Yonhap News
Roberts said, “The last two series we’ve faced really good pitchers. “All hitters would have seen their performance go down,” he said. “The poor batting performance is not just a problem for Kim Hye-sung.”
He said, “I still like Kim Hye-sung’s defense. He’s showing a really good defense at second base. He’s fine,” he continued.
Pointing out that the recent slump may be the result of Kim Hye-sung’s analysis by his opponent, he said, “For sure, getting used to it can have an impact,” but added, “However, we should also live up to the fact that we have faced good pitchers in the past six games. They were good pitchers with high-speed pitches and falling breaking balls. Such a ball is difficult for most batters,” he said.
As Roberts said, Kim Hye-sung is meeting more difficult pitchers than before as he has more opportunities than before. The way these contents affect the results.
In this regard, Kim Hye-sung expressed her thoughts, saying, “There is a cycle in hitting.” “The results haven’t been that good lately. If there are days when they don’t fit, I think there will be days when they fit well, and I’m constantly preparing,” he continued.
Regarding the recent increase in strikeouts, he also said, “I’m worried about not having a hit, whether it’s a strikeout or not, and I’m not worried about a lot of strikeouts. “I have to hit my ball at bat, but I think I was chased because the results weren’t coming out,” he said.
Regarding the physical problem, he shook his head, saying, “It’s not that hard because I didn’t play enough to put pressure on my physical strength.” “I think I’ve fallen in terms of technology rather than physicality. I think we need to pull it up quickly and produce good results,” he said, vowing to work harder.
[San Francisco (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]