The Doosan Bears have won an exhibition game against the SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Doosan ended its first exhibition game on a high note with a 9-1 victory over SoftBank on Thursday at Ikime Stadium in Miyazaki, Japan.
Starting pitcher Choi Won-jun allowed one run on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts in two innings. He was followed by Kim Min-kyu (1 inning of scoreless relief), Park Shin-ji (1 inning of scoreless relief), Choi Jun-ho (1 inning of scoreless relief), Choi Jong-in (1 inning of scoreless relief), Park So-joon (1 inning of scoreless relief), Park Jung-soo (1 inning of scoreless relief), and Kim Taek-yeon (1 inning of scoreless relief).
The offense was hot at the plate, pounding out 12 hits and two home runs. Kim Min-hyuk went 4-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored, while Kim hit a solo home run in the seventh inning. Jung Soo-bin, Henry Ramos, Kang Seung-ho, Kim Dae-ho, Hong Sung-ho, Park Jun-young, and Kim In-tae also had hits.
Doosan pounded the SoftBank mound from the top of the second inning. Kang Seung-ho led off with a single, followed by a two-run homer by Kim Min-hyuk, and added a run on a Kim Dae-hyuk single, a Jang Seung-hyun walk, and a Jung Soo-bin RBI single. Choi Won-jun gave up a run in the bottom of the second inning, but Doosan’s bats responded in the top of the fourth with a single by Kim Min-hyuk, a walk to Kim Dae-hyun, and a single by Jang Seung-hyun, and a sacrifice fly by Jung Soo-bin. With the momentum in their favor, Doosan scored one run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh to complete the sweep.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “It was the first scrimmage of spring training, and everyone, pitchers and fielders alike, showed good performances. It was a game that proved that our players prepared fiercely from last fall to the first Sydney camp. I am more satisfied with the process and content than the result. From Choi Won-joon, who started the game, to Kim Taek-yeon, who pitched the last inning, all of our pitchers performed evenly. Among the batters, I would like to praise Kim Min-hyuk and Kim Ki-yeon, who hit home runs with good swings, and we will prepare well for the remaining practice games,” said Choi Won-jun, who ended the first practice game with a victory.
Choi Won-jun, who did a great job as the starting pitcher, said, “I feel like I’m doing well as I’ve been preparing since last year’s final camp. I used today as an opportunity to experiment with what I focused on in Sydney. I’m happy that I was able to induce 사설토토 false swings and misses with my changeup. My goal is to solidify it against the Japanese hitters and then showcase it in the exhibition games,” said Choi.
Kim Min-hyuk, who had four hits, including a home run, said, “I’m happy with the results from the first game. From the camp in Sydney, Australia, the coach emphasized putting the hitting point forward. ‘Don’t be afraid to swing wildly or strike out and be confident,’ he said, and I think it definitely took the pressure off. I plan to train more so that I can maintain the good feeling I have now and not be complacent,” she said about the secret of her good performance.
Rookie pitcher Kim Taek-yeon, who has been showing off his powerful pitches in practice following the Blue-Black game, said, “It was my first practice game in a Doosan Bears uniform. I wanted to trust myself and pitch confidently rather than trying to run away from the mound. I didn’t try to be too good and just focused on continuing what I’ve been doing, and I think that led to good results. I was curious to see if my pitches were working, so I pitched more off-speed stuff and I’m happy with the results. It was the unofficial first game, so I don’t think there’s any need to get too excited. I’ll continue to work hard and prepare as I have been doing so far and hope to show a good performance from the start of the season,” he said, looking forward to his debut season.