“McKinnon is a lifelong friend. There has never been such a foreign player.”
It was the last word left by Samsung Lions captain Koo Ja-wook about David McKinnon who left.
McKinnon had a batting average of 0.294 with four homers, 36 RBIs and 28 runs scored in 72 games. The performance was consistent. However, he did not achieve the desired long hit. While using batter-friendly Rafak, he only hit four home runs. He also posted a monthly batting average of 0.391, which is close to 40%, but only 0.272 in May and 0.209 in June. Eventually, Samsung had no choice but to break up with McKinnon.
McKinnon lacked a few slugging capabilities, produced good hits, and displayed good batting average. He also played the role of mood maker for the team with a bright smile. He also voiced his opinions on young players. Korean players liked him.
After McKinnon’s departure, Koo Ja-wook said, “In a way, he was the most affectionate foreign player. It is no exaggeration to say that McKinnon accounted for more than half of the team’s mood in the first half of the season. He set the mood really well. In baseball, I think the atmosphere of the dugout is really important. It created the atmosphere really well. We are leaving like this, but when can we meet again? I asked him to keep in touch often, and we decided to be friends forever.”
After McKinnon’s departure, Ruben Cardenas came. As soon as Cardenas arrived, he hit a lot of long balls that McKinnon lacked, satisfying Samsung fans’ expectations. Notably, he left strong impression at the match against the Lotte Giants in Daegu on July 20 and 21. He hit a 140-meter home run on July 20 and a finishing two-run shot against Kim Won-joong, who finished with long hair.
Everyone said Cardenas’ passport should be confiscated, and the club was also surprised by the rapid adaptation to the league. The total amount of $477,000, including an annual salary of 327,000, an option of 100,000, and a transfer fee of 50,000, flowed in a way that was not a waste.
Since then, however, the public opinion has changed dramatically. On July 26, Kadenas was replaced after failing to finish the game due to back pain while swinging at the bottom of the first inning against the KT Wiz in Daegu. He received advice that there was no major problem at the hospital examination, but he has not been able to play normally since then. He could not play in both the games against the LG Twins in Jamsil from July 30 to August 1, and the game against the Daegu SSG Landers from August 2 to 4. He was listed in the first division entry, but failed to play in the game, which means he wasted only one entry.
Then, something happened in the game against the Hanwha Eagles in Daegu on Sunday. Kadenas, who was watching the game wearing a belly band, took the batter’s box in place of Kim Hyun-joon with one out and a runner on the first base in the bottom of the eighth inning. He played in the game for the first time in 11 days. However, he was out with strikeouts. What’s bigger was his defense in the top of the ninth inning. He played center fielder at the top of the ninth inning, but allowed a double due to his complacent response to Kim’s hit. Samsung immediately replaced Kadenas with Kim Heon-gon.
After returning to the dugout, no one encouraged Cardenas. Only his friend Connor Seibold touched him. Cardenas also touched his waist and talked about his condition in the interpretation and training part.
Ahead of the match against Hanwha in Daegu on Tuesday, Samsung coach Park Jin-man excluded Cardenas from the first team. As the player felt pain even though he was fine, all the coach could do was take rest by taking him off the entry. Fortunately, Koo Ja-wook, Kim Ji-chan, Kim Hyun-joon, Kim Heon-gon and Yoon Jeong-bin are performing well, and Samsung fans feel frustrated at the fact that they have to fight for ranking without the help of foreign batters at an important time.
The moment of choice is approaching. The registration deadline for foreign players for the postseason is July 15. By then, they should complete issuing work visas. It is urgent, but it is not impossible for them to do so.
Facing such a moment, some Samsung fans may be missing McKinnon, who showed good performance. What will happen to Kadenas, who fell from a lucky bag to 600 million won. 스포츠토토
