Pitching extremes, a man of two faces.
The NC Dinos’ newest pitcher, Taylor Widener, fell apart in his second start. It was a disappointing outcome after a perfect debut.
Widener started the first game of the midweek against Samsung on June 6 at Lions Park in Daegu.
It was his seventh start on six days’ rest following his debut against the Changwon Doosan on March 30, and the results were disastrous.
He gave up nine runs on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts in just 4⅔ innings. After throwing 104 pitches, he gave way to Jung Koo-beom with two outs and two runners on base in the fifth inning, trailing 3-9. Neither his velocity nor his command fell far short of his debut.
Of his 104 pitches, 60 were strikes, and his fastball only reached 148 mph. In his first start, it was 151 kilometers.
His average velocity on the day was in the low-to-mid 140s. His sharp changeup and slider also had a big difference between balls and strikes. It wasn’t enough to overpower and deceive hitters.
They struggled in the first inning.
Top hitter Kim Ji-chan led off with a straight bunt. After the first inning, Kim Hyun-jun singled, and Kang Min-ho and Kim Dong-yup followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. In the second inning, Oh Jae-il doubled to score the fourth run.
In the second inning, with runners on first and second, Kang Min-ho’s three-pitch at-bat hit the tip of third baseman Park Seok-min’s glove and sailed into left field for five runs.
Things seemed to settle down in the third inning. Yoon Jung-bin struck out Oh Jae-il and then walked Lee Jae-hyun. In the fourth inning, he retired two straight batters. However, they couldn’t get over the hump in the fifth inning, trailing 3-5. With the bases loaded, he gave up a double to Lee Jae-hyun, followed by a two-out RBI double to Kim Ho-jae, and left the mound after giving up four more runs. 메이저사이트
Widener, who was sidelined with back pain before the season, made his late debut on Tuesday against Changwon Doosan.
The wait was worth it. Widener showed off his incredible stuff. He pitched six innings of two-hit, four-walk, nine-strikeout ball in a 5-0 victory to earn his first career win. His four-seam fastball, which topped out at 151 mph, had plenty of power. His movement-heavy changeup and slider danced and threw hitters off their timing. Aside from his changeup variety, he was every bit as powerful as ace Eric Pedroia. He was doused with water by his teammates and happily interviewed by the media.
But a week after his first game, he disappeared. What happened? The third game was crucial.