There is only one game left in the KBO record, with only 660 million guarantees for such a player.
Mar 29, 2025
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Kiwoom Heroes' Ruben Cardinez's performance continues tirelessly. Cardinez added another RBI in the game against SSG Landers at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 29th.
Starting as the third batter and right fielder, Cardinez made two hits (one homer) in four at-bats and scored two RBIs and one run. The first at-bat was grounded out to third base, but a home run hit in the second at-bat in the fourth inning. Kiwoom hit a solo home run to the left in the bottom of the fourth inning when it was losing 0-1. He targeted Kim Kwang-hyun's change-up and connected it with a home run that easily crossed the left fence.
Cardinez, who tied the score at 1-1, did it with his bat until the 2-1 turnaround in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cardinez, who faced a chance with two outs and runners on the first and third bases, met Kim Kwang-hyun again, this time hitting a slider and dropping it in front of left field. This is the moment when Kiwoom succeeded in turning the tables as third baseman Yang Hyun-jong came home.
In addition, with two RBIs, Cardinez continued his RBI streak in all games and seven consecutive games after the opening. This is a new KBO foreign hitter record and an overall tie record.
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In total, it is a tie record. It is the same as the RBI in the opening seven consecutive games recorded by Doosan Bears' Kim Jae-hwan from Jamsil LG on May 5 to Busan Lotte on May 13. If Cardinez adds another RBI in the match against Gocheok SSG on the 30th, he will beat Kim Jae-hwan to set a new record.
No matter how early it is in the opening period and how few samples there are yet, Cardinez is performing well. After joining Samsung as a substitute last year and being kicked out again after playing only seven games due to injury, he signed a contract with Kiwoom this year and signed up to $600,000.
Among them, the guaranteed annual salary is only $450,000 (about 660 million won), and incentives for grades are added $150,000. This is only 60% of the new foreign player limit of $1 million, even if all options are filled. You can see this compared to teammate Yasiel Puig being guaranteed the full $1 million.
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After the SSG match on the 29th, Cadines said, "I had no idea there was such a record. I think it's my role to bring the runner home when there's a runner. It's not complicated calculations, it's focused on the task it's given at the moment"I was able to make such a record thanks to the players who got on base in front of me. Thank you to your colleagues. I will try to keep my current condition well.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
