KIA Tigers' new foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom (34) exploded with home runs in three consecutive games. Two years ago, he struck out three times in a row against Ryu Hyun-jin in Major League Baseball, but he took revenge by hitting a home run after coming to Korea.
Wisdom played as the second batter and first baseman in the away game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held on the 30th at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park, and hit a solo home run to tie the game in the sixth inning.
With KIA trailing 1-2, Wisdom, who came up as the lead-off batter in the sixth inning, avoided Ryu Hyun-jin's first pitch low inside ball and hit the second pitch, a low cutter at 131 km/h, perfectly. The ball flew like a bullet and hit the outfield barrier, landing in the seating area. The home run traveled 125 meters, marking his fourth of the season, tying him for first place in this department with LG's Moon Bo-kyung.
As a result, Wisdom recorded home runs in three consecutive games following the Hanwha games on the 28th and 29th at Daejeon Shin-gung. After hitting his first home run of the KBO League on the 25th against Kiwoom in Gwangju, he has showcased extraordinary power with four home runs in the first eight games.
The home run hit against Ryu Hyun-jin held even more significance. Wisdom, a right-handed slugger with 88 total home runs in Major League Baseball, faced Ryu Hyun-jin, who was with the Chicago Cubs, on Aug. 14, 2023.
In that game, Wisdom started as the seventh batter and first baseman, but struck out swinging against Ryu Hyun-jin in both the second and fourth at-bats. After Ryu Hyun-jin exited, he hit a two-run home run off Jay Jackson in the seventh inning, surpassing 20 home runs for three consecutive seasons.
Two years later, the two players faced off again in Korea. After concluding his Major League career in 2023 with Toronto, Ryu Hyun-jin returned to his former team, Hanwha, last year, while Wisdom came to Korea this year after signing with KIA.
In his first at-bat of the game, Wisdom hit Ryu Hyun-jin's changeup well, but it resulted in a pop-up to the left fielder. In his second at-bat in the third inning, he struck out. He swung and missed at three consecutive low outside changeups. However, he succeeded in targeting Ryu Hyun-jin by hitting a home run in his third at-bat in the sixth inning. This home run tied the game at 2-2, making it even more frustrating for Ryu Hyun-jin.
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