'Explosive .500 Batting After Return' 1.5 Billion Won Foreign Investor, Lee Beom-ho Also Confident! "He Was Always Good at Hitting → Once Impatience Vanished, His True Skill Shone"

*This content was translated by AI.

"His batting technique was originally good."

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho (45) expressed strong confidence in foreign batter Gerald Castro (33), who is showing fierce batting form since returning from injury. The analysis suggests that once the impatience following his return subsided, his inherent batting skills began to emerge.

On the 24th, Kia secured a decisive 10-3 victory in an away game against Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome, located in Guro-gu, Seoul, in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. They took control of the game by scoring six runs in the sixth inning, which was tied 3-3.

Castro, who started as the fifth designated hitter that day, went 3-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored, leading the team to three consecutive wins and an eight-game winning streak against Kiwoom. Since his return from injury on the 18th during the Gwangju LG game, his performance over six games has been a batting average of .500 (13 hits in 26 at-bats), 11 RBIs, and six runs scored, truly showcasing the power of a '.500 explosive bat'. Although his season batting average was .267 at the time of his return, it has now risen to .307 — a remarkable increase of 50 points. His OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage), a key indicator of offensive productivity, is also a solid .840. His batting average with runners in scoring position is also quite high at .313.

Manager Lee Beom-ho met with reporters before the game on the 24th and responded to StarNews' inquiry about the secret behind Castro's explosive hitting: "He is a player who was originally good in terms of technique. There has been no difference before and after his injury. Even during spring training, it seemed like he was hitting the ball softly, but the batted balls went very far, and he has a type that excels in using spin and turning."

He then pointed to the "resolution of impatience" as the secret behind his explosive performance since returning from injury. Manager Lee Beom-ho stated, "Previously, he would swing at balls outside the strike zone, but now he is making efforts to avoid touching those balls as much as possible, which seems to be leading to good batting form." He analyzed that as the impatience disappeared, the player's true skills are now emerging.

Furthermore, Manager Lee Beom-ho added, "He is the type of player who can control even one or two balls that miss the zone, which is why those aspects are showing. In particular, he seems to have adapted much better to the league's strike zone, so his inherent abilities are coming out, and he has also managed his condition well."

Finally, the manager said, "From the team's perspective, Castro's first task is to drive in runs behind Na Sung-beom and Kim Do-young. While home runs are certainly good, the fact that he is also producing RBIs with singles has made our team's offense much more active. He is a very good option from an offensive standpoint," he praised without holding back.

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*This content was translated by AI.