"What's wrong with the ML center fielder?" Wrong defense error → KT was not an outsider despite defending the command tower. "It's my fault, I'll buy dinner to Sauer without excuses."" [the scene of Jamsil]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz foreign hitter Sam Hilliard (32) expressed his honest feelings about the disappointing outfield defense the day before (28th).

Ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 29th, Hilliard said, "I made a wrong judgment on the ball. Inexcusable, it's my fault and I'm sorry to Sauer as well. I'll buy Sauer dinner later."

In the opening game against LG the previous day, KT won 11-7. Against KT, who had 18 long and short hits, LG also diligently followed with 12 hits, and the tight flow continued until the end. The first starting point was at the bottom of the third inning with KT leading 6-0. Hong Chang-ki walked against KT starting pitcher Matt Sauer, Austin Dean hit to the left, and Moon Bo-kyung hit to load the bases.

Hilliard's error came at this time. Hilliard is an outfielder who has been recognized for his defensive skills to the extent that he also played center field in the Major League (ML). A stable defense was expected in the outfield to the extent that KT also reversed its position to use it as the first base at the time of recruitment and used it as a left fielder. But this day was different.

First, Park Dong-won's ball headed to the left fence. The high-flying ball headed just in front of the fence and Hilliard followed. However, Hilliard failed to capture the drop spot, fell, and fell. The record keeper recorded Park Dong-won's hit with a timely RBI from left to right. After that, it was fortunate that he threw quickly and allowed only one run.

KT manager Lee Kang-chul responded to Hilliard's error, saying, "It was my first time experiencing Jamsil. There are some reflections when the sun rises, so there are times when you can't see well, he said. "There was a lot of fine dust. Even here, Kim Hyun-soo did not have a hit. Fortunately, he only gave up one base," he understood.

A day later (29th), I was able to hear from Hilliard in detail. Hilliard said, "I checked the fence once and watched the ball again when the batting was high, and it flowed more than I thought. I tried to catch him somehow, but such a play came out. My mistake," he clarified his position.

But other than that, he showed what he expected. Hilliard reported his first hit in the KBO with a left-handed hit from his first at-bat in the first inning. In the second inning, he also pushed the outside ball and hit a left-handed hit, and in the sixth inning with no outs, he hit a sacrifice fly to the left field.

In the seventh inning, Baek Seung-hyun's low slider was sent to the top of the right outfield stands, making it his first home run in the KBO. According to a KT team official, the total number of home runs on the KT team was 1,400. No. 11 in KBO history.

Hilliard, who laughed about his 1,400th home run, said, "I knew that Kim Hyun-soo was the same team, so LG was the winning team last year and the team with many fans in a big home stadium," smiling, "When a home run comes out, it doesn't come out well, but when it doesn't, it doesn't come out, but I'm very happy to come out from the first game." I was also very happy that the game led to victory," he said.

Hilliard is considered a big-handed outfielder with 44 home runs in the major leagues. It is a fault that there are a lot of strikeouts, but the power was also ranked as the top in the major leagues.

Hilliard, who announced a good start, said, "I don't have any personal goals. The goal is to play healthy until the end of the season, and I think our team can go beyond the playoffs to the Korean Series. It is my personal and firm goal for my team to go to the Korean Series and win."

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*This content was translated by AI.