Former Phillies Aaron Altherr, Ricardo Pinto have huge games as KBO season rolls along

Two previous Phillies hung out in KBO activity Wednesday, and the pleasantness of Aaron Altherr’s swing is now getting out and about after his first grand slam in Korea.T

That homer came against Altherr’s previous partner, Ben Lively.

Altherr’s size, physicality, crude force and perfection consistently prodded the Phillies and their fans. He resembled a likely star really taking shape, or if nothing else a customary outfielder.

Past looking like it, Altherr had a solid season in 2017, hitting .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers and 65 RBI in 412 plate appearances. That season caused the Phils to accept they could have a 25-to-30-homer outfielder on their hands who was simply entering his prime.

The accompanying season was awful for the 6-5 righty. He opened 2018 as the Phillies’ beginning rightfielder yet started 4 for 44 and things never truly convoluted. He was hitting .171 through 248 plate appearances when the Phillies sent him down to Triple An in July. From that point, he couldn’t recover a significant part for a major alliance club.

Altherr endorsed with the KBO’s NC Dinos in November for an announced $800,000 compensation with a $200,000 marking reward. Great cash and a decent chance against lesser rivalry. Some in the baseball world respect the degree of rivalry in Korea as being like the lower levels of the lower levels here.

Altherr, who has batted second and begun in focus field in every one of his group’s games, was given the quiet treatment after that long homer. It came against Lively, who permitted four runs more than six innings to lose his KBO debut.

Previous Phillies reliever Ricardo Pinto, who had a 7.89 ERA in 25 appearances with the 2017 Phils, had a more noteworthy season debut. He had a no-hitter through five innings for those troublesome SK Wyverns and eventually got the success with 6⅔ innings of one-run ball.