The outstanding performance of foreign batter Esteban Florial of the Hanwha Eagles is making coach Kim Kyung-moon smile.
Hanwha coach Kim Kyung-moon praised Florial, who has been a source of vitality with his recent hot hitting, ahead of the professional baseball regular season game against the Lotte Giants at Busan Sajik Stadium on the 24th.
Florial, who once struggled with a batting average in the 1s, has completely revived. He is no longer a 'candidate for release.'
He has been on a hitting streak of 13 consecutive games, and his batting average is nearing .300. He has a record of a .298 batting average (31 hits in 104 at-bats), 2 home runs, 18 RBIs, and an OPS of .833 over 26 games.
Coach Kim Kyung-moon's gaze toward Florial, who has emerged from his early struggles, is warm. Kim noted, "He is doing well. Because Florial is performing well, we are seeing come-from-behind hits and many good RBIs. As a result, we have improved our scoring ability compared to the past." He added, "He has only played in the U.S. and wasn’t familiar with the tendencies of Korean pitchers, so he might have faced some challenges at first. But he has gained confidence. Also, once he’s out there, he has a green light without signs. He is doing well right now." Florial's resurgence can be seen as a hidden factor behind the team's 8-game winning streak.
Regarding the recent winning streak, he emphasized, "As a coach, I have experienced this for a long time too, but even if you want to create a record intentionally, you can't. In fact, I don't even know what the record is and confirm it through articles right now. If there are times when we win, there are also times when we don't do well. That’s why I will try harder to get at least one more win while the mood is good."
On this day, Hanwha revealed a new lineup for their 9th consecutive win. Ahn Chi-hong returned as the starting second baseman. The starting lineup consisted of Ahn Chi-hong (2B), Florial (CF), Moon Hyun-bin (DH), Noh Si-hwan (3B), Chae Eun-sung (1B), Lee Jin-young (LF), Lim Jong-chan (RF), Choi Jae-hoon (C), and Shim Woo-jun (SS).
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