Kiwoom Heroes substitute foreign pitcher Ian McKinney started a home game against SSG Landers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO 꽁머니지급 League at Gocheok Sky Dome Esery on April 1. He pitched six innings of three-hit ball with two walks and five strikeouts. His quality start (six innings pitched with three earned runs or less) helped Kiwoom to a 6-3 victory and earned him his first win in the KBO.

After the game, McKinney was congratulated by his teammates. The pitching staff came onto the field with water bottles and waited for McKinney to finish his interview. Once McKinney left the interview area, the pitchers splashed him with water and congratulated him on his first win.

“They seem to have a lot of contact type hitters. They foul off a lot of pitches and try to make as many in-play hits as possible,” he said. He added, “American hitters have big swings, so they have a lot of swinging strikes.” “In the KBO, I think we need to attack the strike zone more aggressively. I think I need to make some adjustments,” he said, vowing to do better.

The Korean food has also been a perfect fit. “The ramen is really good,” McKinney said. Pork belly and bulgogi are also good, but I’ve had them in the States. It’s a little bit different from Korea because it’s localized,” he laughs.

It’s not uncommon for former major leaguers to have trouble adjusting to the KBO. It’s not all about past history. McKinney has played in the minor 메이저사이트 주소 leagues all his life, most recently in the independent leagues. That might seem like a bit of a disadvantage, but McKinney is determined to overcome preconceived notions.

“The independent leagues I’ve played in are top-tier,” he says. A lot of the players were former major leaguers or Triple-A players. It was a more competitive league than I thought it would be. I want to break the (negative) perception of me,” he said, vowing to succeed in the KBO.