SARASOTA, Fla. -- New Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim recorded his long-awaited first spring hit with a bases-loaded RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in Thursday's 4-4 tie with the Yankees.
"[Catcher Matt] Wieters said when [Kim] got hit with a pitch, 'He's on a roll. Look out, he may not make another out,'" manager Buck Showalter said of Kim, who reached base for the first time in 23 plate appearances on a fourth-inning plunking. "Talking to someone with the Pirates, talking about [Jung Ho] Kang, how slow he started for them last spring, [I] keep it in mind, all the adjustments he's going through. That was good to see. He's 1-for-1."
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As the designated hitter on Thursday, Kim, who is now 1-for-24 in Grapefruit League play, admitted the single was a weight off his shoulders.
"I'm a little bit relieved for all the things I've been going through," Kim said through his interpreter, "and there's a lot more to improve and to show the fans."
Signed to a two-year deal this offseason out of the Korea Baseball Organization, Kim said the reaction from the dugout was great.
"They were actually happier than me," he said. "They were cheering for my first hit, they loved what I did out there."