"ABS is a really good system, I hope all stadiums are established the same way"...Confusion, and stagnation felt by the GG outfielder

"ABS is a really good system, I hope all stadiums are established the same way"...Confusion, and stagnation felt by the GG outfielder

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"There was a lot of confusion, so I think it also affected the performance."

KT Wiz foreign hitter Mel Rojas Jr. started as the first batter and right fielder at the first regular season showdown with the LG Twins of the "2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 2nd. He played one hit (one home run), two RBIs, two runs and one walk from three times at bat on the day, contributing to the 9-5 team's victory.
After returning to the leadoff, Rojas performed very well as if the first batter was the suit for him. As a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first inning, he drew a walk from LG starter Elijah Hernandez to open the door. Rojas, who showed off his on-base ability, showed off his slugging capability at his second at-bat in the bottom of the first inning.

With the team leading 6-1 in the bottom of the first inning, KT hit Hernandez's sweeper with two outs and a runner on the second base, and hit a 132 meter two-run homer (season No. 1) that flew over the right fence to make it 8-1. With the homer, he became the 11th team in the KBO League to hit 1,300 homers and replaced Hernandez.

It is KT who actually threw a KO punch with Rojas' home run. KT lost additional points in the middle and late in the game due to Oh Won-seok, who started the game, but defended the team's victory by preventing the crisis well. KT gave LG its first loss of the season, holding back LG, which had been unbeaten in seven games since the opening.

KT manager Lee Kang-chul highlighted Rojas' performance after the game, saying, "I was able to win by focusing on the upper and lower batters early in the game, making a big inning," adding, "Congratulations on Rojas' first home run of the season."
Rojas is set to change the mood by banking on this day's home run. He had a splendid season last year, including winning the Golden Glove in the outfield section, but had a poor batting average of 0.111 (three hits in 27 at-bats) and two-run OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.509 in eight games since the opening of the season before this day, but he shook off the batting average and led the batters to a valuable victory.

Rojas, who was selected as a coach, said after the game, "It wasn't that I was in a bad condition early in the season. He might have been in a bad condition because the hit was thrown out, but his personal condition was really good. Talking about the difference in timing with hitting coach Yoo Han-joon, I focused on the training. I had a more comfortable hit today (2nd), and I think I got a home run."

Rojas confessed that he felt confused by the automatic pitching decision system (ABS), although it is not an excuse for a slump in hitting. This year's ABS system has been downgraded from last year's. From this year, the strike zone, which was applied at 56.35% of the top and 27.64% of the bottom in proportion to the height of the batter last season, will be lowered by 0.6% points for both the top and bottom, applying 55.75% of the top and 27.04% of the bottom.

Rojas said he was confused by these revisions. "What was a little confusing was that this year's ABS differed from stadium to stadium compared to last year. I think it affected my performance because there were a lot of differences from the (strike) zone that I set. Actually, ABS is a really good system, and I agree with it to be fair to both sides. I think it would be easier to understand as a player if the ABS had been established equally and accurately in all stadiums," he said.

"I feel like I'm smaller than last year. I think I tend to lean more towards the left-handed batters, outside the left-handed batters, or the body than I think. If any player is the same and consistent, I think all players will understand and use the system better. Of course, I don't want to say that my result is due to ABS. That's an excuse. Obviously, my bad position was not good. "My personal batting style is to establish a zone and have a lot of count fights with pitchers, but as the count that I should be advantageous is affected by ABS, I was very confused and had a hard time considering various things, such as fighting ABS," he added.

Rojas, who returned as the first batter from the Sajik Lotte Giants game on the 30th of last month, is revitalizing the lineup by producing RBIs and home runs. Rojas-like offense, which has been shown steadily since entering the KBO League in the 2017 season, is reviving.

Rojas said, "Oh Won-seok (who started) recorded a lot of pitches, so I decided to take as many pitches as possible to Hernandez." As the first hitter, I have no choice but to put more emphasis on getting on base. I will do the same when the situation occurs, but I think I focus a lot on getting on base at first (the game)," he said.

Rojas' socks came into the eyes of the reporters who were conducting the interview. It was a meaningful gift from the family only for Rojas, the only socks in the world with Rojas' family photos printed on them.

Rojas said, "My wife gave me socks with family photos of my children. "I won this year's event because I had good performance," he said. "My family came to Korea late because I was the youngest (born in November last year). Coincidentally, I arrived in Korea yesterday (on the 1st), and I think I got good results today thanks to the support. My family is the source of my strength. As a husband and father, I want to show great performance on the ground," he said with a bright smile. 안전놀이터