The Hanwha Eagles’ foreign batsman, Nick Williams (30), talks about how he hopes to make a difference.
The Hanwha Eagles drew 3-3 꽁머니사이트 against the NC Dinos at NC Park in Changwon on May 15. The Eagles led 3-1 in the top of the sixth inning, but after a tie in the middle innings, the game went into extra innings.
It wasn’t all for naught. No. 3 Roh Si-hwan hit his 28th home run of the season in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning. He’s been hitting like a man possessed in his last five games, with five home runs in that span, and Williams, batting second, was not far behind. With two outs in the top of the sixth inning and the score tied 1-1, Williams pulled a 140-mph fastball from NC starter Tanner for a line drive over the right field fence. It traveled 105 meters. It was her fourth home run of the season, and coincidentally, Williams continued her “power” trend by hitting all four of her home runs off left-handed pitching.
After the NC game, Williams’ season batting average was exactly .222 (22-for-110). His on-base percentage (0.228) and slugging percentage (0.345) combined are also low, with an OPS of 0.573. His batting average with runners in scoring position is less than two percent at .194. However, he has rebounded in his last three games, going 4-for-11 with a double, home run, and three RBIs.
“My (batting) timing was still late, so I shortened my take-back time a little bit,” Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said before the game, “For example, if (my previous take-back time) was about a second, now it’s about half a second, so I think my timing is a little bit better. When I asked him about the changes in the batting part, he said that he reduced that part,” he said, explaining the changes. He continued, “My response to the pitcher has been a little better lately. He said that he’s starting to adjust a little bit, too,” he said.
Williams went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs against NC. His home run in the sixth inning was his only hit of the day. His first at-bat in the first inning was an infield single and his second in the third was a routine fly to right field. His at-bats weren’t perfect, but the sixth-inning home run was the turning point. It remains to be seen what the shortened take-back will bring.