"Did you see the exit velocity?"

KIA Tigers foreign batter Patrick Wisdom (31) hit his first home run in the exhibition game. In the game against Doosan Bears held at Jamsil Stadium on the 14th, he started and launched a massive arch like a cannonball in his first at-bat. The slugger, with 88 home runs in Major League Baseball, made a powerful swing that signaled his conquest of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league.

He felt the sweet spot in his first at-bat. Facing Doosan left-handed starter Choi Seung-yong with one out and a runner on third base in the first inning, leading 1-0, he lifted a forkball (132 km/h) that was right down the middle, as if he was waiting for it, after a ball count of 2B-1S. It flew like a bullet and landed deep in left field, clearing the fence. It was a two-run home run with a distance of 115 meters. The exit velocity reached an impressive 179.8 km/h. Director General Shim Jae-hak, watching the game, was visibly surprised and said, "Did you see the exit velocity?".

In his third at-bat, luck came his way. In the sixth inning, after one out, a 149 km/h fastball from Lee Young-ha was blocked, but it turned into a double that fell just inside the right foul line. When he was in a slump, a lucky hit can often become a turning point. Although he struck out swinging at a breaking ball in his previous at-bat, he bounced back with a double. That day, he went 2 for 3 at the plate, improving his batting average from .154 to .250.

After hitting his first home run, manager Lee Beom-ho and his teammates congratulated him. Above all, hitting a home run against a left-handed pitcher is significant. This highlights why KIA boldly decided to part ways with Socrates Brito. Brito had a batting average of .300 with an average of 21 home runs over three years. He posted career highs of .312, 26 home runs, and 97 RBIs with an OPS of .875 in the 2024 season.

However, as a left-handed batter, he struggled against left-handed pitchers. Over three years, he had a batting average of .328 against right-handers but only .259 against lefties. There were signs of improvement with a .289 batting average in the 2024 season, but it was also noted that there were more left-handed pitchers in both the starting and bullpen this year. Among the foreign pitchers in the nine teams, nine are left-handed. This is why they sought a strong right-handed hitter and brought in Wisdom.

They also considered the advantage of preventing special appearances by opposing left-handed pitchers. In the exhibition games, they occasionally utilized a zigzag batting lineup starting with right-handed Kim Do-young, followed by Na Sung-bum, Wisdom, and Choi Hyung-woo. The fact that he was able to create a home run by targeting Choi Seung-yong's forkball, which throws tricky breaking pitches as a right-hander, is also seen as a positive sign.

In the exhibition games, he focused on observing the types, speeds, and trajectories of KBO league pitchers. By watching the ball for too long, many of his batted balls were late, leading to a low batting average. As the exhibition games progressed, he began to swing more aggressively, resulting in his first home run and a double. Now, not only against left-handers but also against right-handers, he must show his destructive power.

After the game, Wisdom said, "In the early part of the exhibition games, I was trying to watch the pitches from the pitchers a lot, and that made me become more passive. Since yesterday, I tried to be a bit more aggressive. I’m really satisfied with the exit velocity today. I think everyone expected something, and I’m so happy that a home run finally came out. Now I think I can approach the game with a light heart." The slugger with 88 home runs in Major League Baseball has begun his adaptation.

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