“Korea is my second home, and I’d love to come back…” Unapologetic, Williams lingers with regret
Williams came to Korea in June as a replacement foreign hitter for Hanwha. After releasing Brian O’Grady, who was in a severe batting slump, Hanwha brought in Williams as the “next best thing” after a series of twists and turns. After making his debut on June 27 against KT in Daejeon, Williams seemed to settle in relatively quickly, hitting his first home run against Samsung Electronics in Daegu on June 30, his third game.
However, after his weakness against fastballs was exposed, he struggled mightily in July, batting 1-for-7 with one home run, 11 RBIs, and a .442 OPS in 63 at-bats over 15 games. He drew one walk and struck out 23 times in that span. In August, he came alive a bit, batting 2-for-5 (18-for-70) with two home runs, 10 RBIs and a .660 OPS in 18 games, but his outfield defense faltered and he was benched for a while.
But Williams didn’t give up or get frustrated. He stayed focused on his baseball and never took his eyes off the ball. In 32 games since September, he’s batted 2-for-7 with 31 doubles (in 114 at-bats), five home runs, 27 RBIs, and a .780 OPS. He had his best game with a multi-homer game against Gochuk Kiwoom on September 8, including a game-winner in the 12th inning, and exploded for four hits, including a two-run homer, against Daejeon Lotte on October 14.
Williams’ final numbers for the season were 2-for-44 (63-for-258) with nine homers, 45 RBIs and a .678 OPS in 68 games, which is disappointing for a foreign hitter but avoids the worst. He certainly has the power to hit more than 20 home runs in a full season.
“I don’t know if I would have hit 20 homers if I played a full season,” Williams said. “It’s possible to have a crazy week or month, like anybody, but it’s hard to say,” he said. “Every player has a different adjustment time. If I had come in from spring training and adjusted to the ball and the style of the Korean pitchers, I think 20 homers would have been possible.”
“Outside of baseball, it took a while for my family to get here. “I don’t want to make excuses for my slump,” he said, “but I’m not going to make excuses for the fact that I had to live in a foreign country without my family. I’m happy that I was able to settle in at the end of the season and help the team win. I think it was a combination of working with the hitting coaches to find out what wasn’t working and work on it, and that’s what came through at the end.”
Williams arrived on June 22 and returned to the United States with her family on July 17, the day after the season finale. 카지노사이트킴 In just under four months, he fell in love with Korea. “It’s a shame I have to leave the league,” Williams said. I love the country itself. They’ve been so welcoming to me and my family. There were many fans who recognized me and my son Rory from all over the country.” He was very grateful for the support of the Hanwha fans.
To put it bluntly, it’s hard to re-sign him. Williams is well aware of this, but it still lingers in his mind. “I’d love to come to Korea next year if I get the chance. It’s like a second home to me. My family is comfortable here, too. I don’t know when it will be, but I hope to see you in Korea again, and I won’t forget the support you’ve given me,” he said, looking forward to their next meeting.