Added 3 more hits. While foreign batters in the KBO League are generally quiet this season, there is a player who makes a good hit. KT Wiz Anthony Alford.
Alford added 3 hits against Suwon SSG Landers on the 18th. Alford, who started as a third hitter and left fielder, went 4 at-bats with 3 hits, 1 RBI and 1 strikeout.
Hits broke out from the first at-bat. In the bottom of the 1st inning, with no runners and no runners out, Alford got off to a fresh start by attacking SSG starting pitcher Moon Seung-won and scoring a hit in the middle left with the first pitch. He failed to score on a follow-up hit.
In the second at-bat, he hit a timely hit. At the end of the 3rd inning, KT scored the first run and took a 1-0 lead. Kang Baek-ho, the hitter right in front of him, went on base with a walk, giving him a second-out chance. Facing Moon Seung-won again, Alford hit a double through the middle right. The hit was enough for Kang Baek-ho, who was on 1st base, to go around 2nd and 3rd base and go home. Alford reached second base, and KT began to lead 2-0.
He struck out in his third at-bat, but Alford’s streak did not stop. In the bottom of the seventh, he came out as the leadoff batter and produced a clever infield hit. Unfortunately, it did not lead to a goal this time, but Alford completed a three-hit game.
He has already had his third three-hit or more game this season. Alford, who recorded 4 hits against the LG Twins on the 1st and 3 hits against the Hanwha Eagles on the 15th, added another 3 hits. His personal season batting average improved to 4.49. 19 hits in 45 at-bats. Ranked 1st overall in the league. In particular, in the 12 games since the opening, there is only one no-hit game, and there are 7 ‘multi-hits (2 or more hits in 1 game)’. 안전놀이터
It is a pity that the expected long hits do not explode. In the opening series, he has not hit a home run since recording two hits in a row and three RBIs in two consecutive games. During that period, there were only two doubles and two RBIs, which is not many.
However, as Alford consistently hits in the third batting order and gets on base, synergy with Kang Baek-ho, who is second, is evident. He is opening up opportunities for center batting hitters, including No. 4 Park Byeong-ho, to connect chances.
With foreign hitters not particularly prominent throughout the league this season, Alford is the only one to top the batting leaderboard. It is no exaggeration to say that it is one of the driving forces behind KT recording a win rate of more than 50% even when Bae Jung-dae and Hwang Jae-gyun were out of power due to injuries.