Seoul: Kia Tigers slugger Patrick Wisdom has been making a significant impact in his first season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), ranking among the league leaders in home runs and on-base plus slugging. However, he has encountered difficulties hitting at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the home ground of the Kiwoom Heroes.
According to Yonhap News Agency, despite the Heroes' position at the bottom of the 10-team league and having the poorest pitching staff by several metrics, Wisdom has managed just a .091 batting average (2-for-22) with 12 strikeouts in five games at Gocheok, the KBO's only domed stadium. This marks his lowest performance at any stadium in the league, with none of his 13 home runs coming at Gocheok.
Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho expressed his lack of concern regarding Wisdom's struggles at Gocheok, where the Tigers were scheduled to play the final game of a three-game series against the Heroes. Lee emphasized that Wisdom continues to contribute to the team in other capacities. Due to a series of injuries, Wisdom has been playing third base instead of his usual position at first base and has impressed with his performance there.
"I think he is having trouble seeing pitches here because he doesn't have much experience playing at domes over in the U.S.," Lee stated during a pregame media session. "He's been whiffing on pitches just out of the strike zone. But he may get a few hits tonight. We've won games when he picked up his teammates and hit big home runs. I am just thankful that he's been playing great defense at third base."
On Wednesday, Wisdom batted 0-for-4 with three strikeouts from the No. 3 spot in the lineup, prompting Lee to move him to the No. 5 spot for Thursday's game. Choi Hyoung-woo, the team's leader with 50 RBIs, remained as the cleanup hitter, while Oh Sun-woo, who has been on a streak of four consecutive games with at least two hits, was moved up to the No. 3 spot.
"It would help us if Wisdom can get on base in front of Hyoung-woo," Lee mentioned. "We've been flipping him and Sun-woo a few times, and in the grand scheme of things, where they hit doesn't really matter much. They will keep taking turns."