Left-hander Wes Benjamin (32), who spent three years with KT Wiz in the KBO League until last year, went down to the minor league after being hit in an exhibition game.
Benjamin appeared as the third pitcher in the sixth inning of an exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians of the 2025 Major League Baseball at Goodyear Ball Park in Goodyear, Arizona, USA on the 23rd (Korea time), and collapsed with three hits (one homer) and three walks (four earned runs) in one ⅓ inning.
He was nervous from the start as he had a solo home run against the wall by leading hitter John Kenshi Noel in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning of the full count, his sinker of 91.3 mph (149.9 km) became a mistake in the center, leading to long hit.
Benjamin, who allowed Brian Lockio to hit left and steal second base, then induced Bonnaylor to ground out to first base, but first baseman Trenton Brooks' catch error put him on the verge of first and third bases with no outs. Benjamin, who lost an additional point when a third baseman came home on Will Wilson's sacrifice fly to right field, gave up a hit to Dom Nunes and a walk to Stephen Kwan, and was substituted with one out and a bases loaded with one out. Kevin Cobb, who followed, called all three Benjamin's successors home with walks and hits.
He failed to finish the sixth inning, but Benjamin took the mound again in the seventh inning due to rules of exhibition games. He finished the inning without losing a point, but allowed two walks, shaking his control, and was eventually informed of his move to the minor league after the game. Benjamin threw 50 pitches, including 30 sliders, sinkers, changeups, and four-seam fastballs. The maximum speed is 148.5 kilometers per hour at 92.3 miles per hour.
After the game, the San Diego Padres placed infielder Mason McCoy on the 40-man roster, dealing with catcher Brett Sullivan and sending outfielder Tris O'Nellas to the Minor League camp as a minor option. In addition, Benjamin, an invited player in the spring training, has been relocated to the Minor League camp, and the roster has been cleaned up.
Benjamin, who was informed by KT that he could not renew his contract after last season, joined the spring training with the San Diego Padres on a minor contract at the end of last month. Although he got the chance at an exhibition game, he struggled with the 6.00 ERA in four games (first starter). While pitching six innings, he had seven hits (one homer), seven walks, one strikeout, and nine runs (four earned runs), which was not very impressive. As he took the mound at the last time, he realized the lofty challenge in the Major League, and will start the season with Triple-A El Paso Chihuahua.
Benjamin, who recorded 2 wins, 3 losses and an ERA of 6.80 in 21 games (45 innings) in the two major league seasons with the Texas Rangers between 2020 and 2021, has been a model foreign pitcher for three years until last year after coming to KT as a substitute in June 2022. Although he has not renewed his contract for three consecutive years, he has left a good record of 31 wins and 18 losses and 3.74 strikeouts and 390 strikeouts in 74 games (406 ⅓ innings) over the past three years in the KBO League. As a left-hander, he showed particular strength against left-handed hitters as he showed good deception movements to hide the ball.
He was loved by players and fans due to his good personality. After learning the word "brother" from Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA Tigers) when he was with the Texas Rangers, he studied Korean hard in Korea. He was so sincere in Korea that he could write and read Korean in person, even though he doesn't know the meaning. 바카라사이트
Even after joining San Diego at the end of last month, Benjamin showed no secret of his affection for Korea. "I liked the decision I made three years ago when I went to Korea. It made me a better person and player," he said in an interview with local media in San Diego. "I like Korea. I really liked the culture there. Playing 160 to 170 innings as a starter was a good opportunity for me and was a great help to me."
"No one would know who I am after coming back from overseas, but I want to show my changed image to help my team. I used sweeper a lot in Korea, and it was effective for left-handed hitting. I will see if it works in the U.S.," he said, but he started the season as a minor player by realizing the high wall at the exhibition game. As a player who loved Korea, I think I will miss Korea even more.