The Korea Professional Baseball Kiwoom Heroes' Ruben Cardenas (28) was unable to showcase his true skills against his former team.

Cardenas started as the No. 3 first baseman in a game against the Samsung Lions in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 20th, recording 1 hit in 5 at-bats.

Starting from his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning with no outs and runners on first and second, Cardenas hit a ground ball to third base, resulting in one out and only achieving a consolidation for runners on first and third. Kiwoom later missed the scoring opportunity as Lee Hyung-jong hit a 6-4-3 double play. He then went down on pop outs in his next two at-bats.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, when the two teams were tied 1-1 and with one out and the bases loaded, Cardenas had a golden opportunity to bring victory to the team, but instead hit a 6-4-3 double play, squandering the bases-loaded chance. Kiwoom allowed a home run to Kim Young-woong in the top of the 9th inning, but managed to extend the game to extra innings with a sacrifice fly that brought in a run from Kim Dong-heon in the bottom of the 9th.

Cardenas hit a double with two outs in the 10th inning of extra innings, but it did not lead to a run. Kiwoom gave up 4 runs in the top of the 11th inning to Kim Ji-chan's RBI single and Gu Ja-wook's 3-run double, ultimately losing the game.

This season, Kiwoom started with two foreign hitters, Cardenas and Yasiel Puig, after bringing them in. However, the expected power from the batting lineup did not emerge, and with only Kenny Rosenberg as the foreign pitcher in the starting rotation facing significant struggles, they ultimately decided to acquire another foreign pitcher.

Kiwoom, deliberating between replacing Cardenas and Puig, recorded a disappointing performance with a batting average of .212 (33 hits in 156 at-bats) with 6 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 17 runs scored over 40 games, and given the injury risk with Puig, who suffered a shoulder injury at one point, they decided to replace him. On the 19th, they announced the acquisition of Raul Alcantara, who had played previously with Doosan and KT, along with the news of Puig's release.

Having survived one replacement crisis, Cardenas's position remains insecure. His season performance shows a batting average of .224 (34 hits in 152 at-bats) with 4 home runs, 23 RBIs, 19 runs scored, 1 stolen base, and an OPS of .692, which is not satisfactory. Although his batting pace was good in the early part of the season, it noticeably declined after he returned from paternity leave in the U.S.

With Puig's replacement, Cardenas became the team's only foreign hitter and needed to prove his skills in that day's game. Coincidentally, facing his former team from last year, Cardenas squandered a crucial opportunity with a devastating double play, ultimately wasting the chance for team victory.

This season, Kiwoom is stuck at the bottom of the league with a record of 14 wins and 36 losses and a winning percentage of .280. For Kiwoom to rebound, not only is the performance of Alcantara, who is expected to join the starting rotation, important, but also Cardenas's revival is crucial. Can Cardenas, who survived the competition against Puig, show a different appearance for the remainder of the season? Kiwoom is eagerly hoping for Cardenas's comeback.

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