Notes: Yang debuts; Rangers make first cuts

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Hyeon-Jong Yang was an established pitcher in Korea's KBO. Now, he’s hoping to make a name for himself in MLB.

In his first Spring Training outing, he pitched one inning, giving up two hits including a home run in the Rangers' 4-3 win over the Dodgers and recording the save. Through an interpreter, Yang said that he’s remaining positive, despite a lackluster day on the mound, as he gets used to the grip on the MLB ball.

“My biggest goal is to keep playing in the big leagues,” Yang said. “This is one of the processes to learn and it's step by step. I’ll keep going on every day and every outing for me to achieve my goal.”

• Spring Training information | Spring Training schedule

Yang said he did not have total control of his breaking ball on Sunday and that he needs to work more on his mechanics in the coming weeks before he makes his next appearance. Rangers manager Chris Woodward said the one flaw in the inning was the home run and if they had more information on the hitter -- Dodgers prospect DJ Peters -- he probably would have called a different pitch.

Woodward said Yang’s composure stood out to him, as the left-hander controlled his emotions on the mound even though he was obviously excited to get his first big league action. Yang said he thinks that is part of the reason for his control issue.

“He was throwing his pitches and executing just like we saw it in his bullpens,” Woodward said. “You can see that energy, but it didn't affect his performance, and that's pretty rare.”

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It was also Yang’s first bullpen outing since 2016, when he made just one relief appearance. Yang started 324 of his 425 career appearances in the KBO. He said it wasn’t too different, but he worked with the pitching coaches to prepare mentally for the challenge.

There was a group of Korean fans in the stands in Surprise Stadium, and Yang expressed his appreciation for their support. Woodward said Yang has been enjoying himself in camp and that his personality has come out a lot within the last few weeks.

“He's got a great personality,” Woodward said. “He's got a good sense of humor. I love to see that, especially from a guy coming over from another country to kind of loosen up. This is obviously our job, but we enjoy every minute of it and I can tell he enjoys being out there.”

First round of cuts
Pitchers Joe Gatto and Tyler Phillips were the first two players the Rangers optioned to Triple-A Round Rock this spring. Because of the COVID situation, both will stay in Surprise to work out with the team.

Gatto pitched two innings in Cactus League games, giving up four hits and three earned runs. Phillips pitched one inning, giving up three hits and two earned runs.

“It's just kind of to set their mind at ease,” Woodward said. “I think both guys really struggled and I just want to take the pressure off them, let them focus on getting better and developing and improving.”