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| LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hits a sharp double to the right in the bottom of the first inning in an exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 11th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News |
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| LA Kim Hye-sung continues the necessary hitting to board the Tokyo Series. AP Yonhap News |
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LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hit the strongest ball in this spring training with a week left before the regular season opener.
Ohtani played as a leadoff designated hitter in the home exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona on the 11th (Korea time) and scored one hit and one point in three at-bats.
Ohtani, who played for the first time in two days following an away game against the Chicago White Sox on the 9th, showed off his good batting condition by hitting a hit from his first at-bat.
He pulled a 91.1 mile cutter that penetrated the third pitch in the ball count 1B1S against right-hander John Curtis and hit a line drive double into the right outfield. The launch angle reached 10 degrees and the batting speed reached 118.5 miles (191 kilometers).
Only three of Ohtani's hits last year were faster than this. In other words, Ohtani's ability to hit the ball accurately to the center of the bat remains unchanged. In six spring training games, Ohtani has a batting average of 0.353 (6 hits in 17 at-bats), one home run, one RBI, three runs and an OPS of 1.036, showing his high-sensitivity batting skills.
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| Otani runs out looking at the ball after hitting a right double in the bottom of the first inning. AFP Yonhap News |
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| Ohtani, who hit a double in the bottom of the first inning, is requesting time. AP Yonhap News |
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Ohtani will also play in the Cleveland Guardians match at Camelback Ranch at 5:05 a.m. on the 12th, the last exhibition game before leaving Japan. The Dodgers starter is Rocky Sasaki, who will take the mound for the first time in an exhibition game, which is drawing considerable attention. Sasiki is improving his condition with the goal of starting Game 2 of the Tokyo Series.
But there is another player who needs to go all-in to this game. It's Kim Hye-sung.
Kim Hye-sung played as a pinch runner in the match against Arizona on the same day and made a last-minute spurt for boarding a flight to Tokyo with one hit, one stolen base and two points. Manager Dave Roberts is still thinking about whether Kim Hye-sung will enter the roster or not. Kim Hye-sung hit a two-run timely hit against the Athletics on the 10th and then entered the exhibition game on the same day, hitting the fastest 103.4 miles (166.4km) hard hit, showing his adaptation to the new batting form.
However, he still seems to have failed to move Roberts' mind.
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| Kim Hye-sung is training fielding. ImagesYonhap News |
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| LA Dodgers Kim Hye-sung (right) and Tommy Edman. AP Yonhap News |
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In this regard, local media Dodger Blue mentioned Kim Hye-sung's possibility to go to TokyoThe club is having internal discussions over whether to include Kim on its away roster to Japan or to remain in Arizona to focus on revising the batting form, describing the local atmosphere, saying, `This means that Kim has already been pushed out of the main competition, and he seems to be behind other players in the competition for a place on the 26-man opening roster.'
The media cited six players in the range of 'Other Players', including James Outman, Andy Pazs, Chris Taylor, David Bodie, Quique Hernandez and Miguel Rojas. Like Kim Hye-sung, they are utilities that can be viewed in multiple positions.
At the same time, Dodger Blue said 'Kim Hye-sung could eventually take the Dodgers' main second baseman, but there is work in progress at the moment. He said he showed off his elite skills in the KBO in terms of his pioneering eye and stealing ability. In other words, it is a positive outlook that Kim Hye-sung will someday take over as the Dodgers' main second baseman.
Ohtani is considered a teammate who helps Kim Hye-sung adapt to the major leagues. Will Kim Hye-sung be able to fly to Tokyo with Ohtani.
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| LA Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto started against Arizona on the 11th (Korea time) and is spraying the ball vigorously. AP Yonhap News |
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Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was named the starting pitcher for Game 1 against Arizona, started the game against Arizona on the same day and became the winning pitcher by pitching four hits, one walk, seven strikeouts and no runs in five innings. Yamamoto, who threw 75 pitches, raised his fastball speed to a maximum of 97.0 miles and an average of 95.6 miles, completing all preparations for the opening game. He pitched 13 innings in four spring training games, marking 15 hits, three walks, 14 strikeouts, and a 4.15 ERA.
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| Otani Shohei enters the stadium. AP Yonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
