The home run king’s expectations were high for a reason.
Jonathan Peraza (26, Hanwha Eagles) started at second base and right field against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on April 24 and went 2-for-4 with two home runs, one walk, two RBIs, and three runs scored.
Peraza is the first foreign-born hitter Hanwha has signed this season with a full $1 million cap hit.
Hanwha didn’t have much luck with foreign hitters last year. Brian O’Grady, who started the season with them, batted just 1-for-2 in 22 games, and Nick Williams, their designated hitter, batted 2-for-4 with nine home runs in 68 games, not enough to warrant re-signing him.
Peraza has a solid hit tool. He went 2-for-8 with 23 homers, 안전놀이터 a .534 on-base percentage, and a .922 OPS at Triple-A last year.
Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho also watched the spring training and said, “I think he’ll be fine in terms of hitting. Even if you ask the hitting coaches, the commentators who are hitters, or the outside world, the evaluation is good.”
At the media day before the start of the season, last year’s home run king, Roh Si-hwan (Hanwha), said of Peraza, “He’s very stable. He has a good vision of the ball, and I think he’s going to hit it really well.”
He hit a home run in the first game of the tournament and finished with a 2-for-8 record and two home runs in 10 games.
From the opening game, Peraza capitalized on his batting advantage. After hitting an infield single in his first at-bat, he followed it up with a two-run double in his second at-bat for a multi-hit game.
In the second game, he struck out in his first at-bat, but in his second at-bat, he took a changeup from Chan-kyu Lim over the right field wall. His first home run of the season.
It didn’t take long for his second home run to follow. This time, it was a curveball. In the top of the sixth inning, he led off with a walk and took a low fastball over the right-field wall.
With Peraza in full force, LG was able to avoid the game. Hanwha had runners on first and second in the top of the eighth with a 3-2 lead after Lim Jong-chan singled and Choi In-ho sacrificed. With Peraza at the plate, 바카라사이트 추천 pitcher Baek Seung-hyun was faced with three pitches and opted for a high four-seamer.
As it turned out, LG had a tough choice to make. Hanwha retired Ahn Chi-hong on a fly ball, but Noh Si-hwan’s RBI single and Chae Eun-sung’s three-run homer made it 7-2.
Peraza continued to hit well in the top of the ninth, sending pitches between center and right field, but was unable to capitalize on the three-hit game as Hosby was stranded.
Behind Peraza’s performance, Hanwha won 8-4 and finished the opening two-game series against defending champion LG with a 1-1 record.
