Aaron Wilkerson (34), a new foreign pitcher for the Lotte Giants, pitched well in his KBO League debut.
Wilkerson started in an away game against Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 26th and recorded 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts and 2 runs in 5 innings. The number of pitches was 76 and the strike rate was 69.7%.바카라사이트
Wilkerson got a hit every inning from the 1st to the 5th inning against Doosan, who had won 11 consecutive wins until the previous day (25th), but he minimized the run by catching pitches.
His highest fastball speed was recorded at 149 km. He also threw a variety of pitches, including fastballs (33), sliders (17), changeups, curveballs (more than 11), and cutters (4).
Wilkerson is Lotte’s conversion card, which is aiming for fall baseball for the first time in six years since 2017. After the first half, Lotte let go of Dan Strayley, who was sluggish with 3 wins, 5 losses and an ERA of 4.37, and hired Wilkerson as a substitute foreign pitcher.
And the veiled Wilkerson made his first appearance in the KBO League on this day. Manager Larry Sutton said, “I hope Wilkerson will play his game. I’ve watched Wilkerson train, and he has excellent control and a good pitching feeling. I hope he will play aggressively with his own weapon.”
Wilkerson lived up to Sutton’s expectations. Wilkerson tossed the ball into the strike zone, induced a hit, and quickly increased the outcount.
On this day, the number of pitches was limited to around 80, and the number of pitches was managed well. After ending his first defensive inning with 7 balls, Wilkerson had 51 pitches by the bottom of the 4th inning. However, he threw 25 balls, including two full count close-ups in the bottom of the 5th inning.
He also kept his runs to a minimum, though it wasn’t clean pitching, as he got hits every inning.
Wilkerson interrupted Doosan’s flow by handling Kim Jae-hwan and Kang Seung-ho with double strokes at the end of the first inning with one out on first base and one out on first and second base at the end of the second inning. At the end of the 4th inning, Yang Eui-ji was allowed the first long hit, but later he struck out Yang Seok-hwan and Jose Rojas with a fly to right field.
Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop expressed confidence, “I don’t have enough information about Wilkerson, so I think I’ll have to play a game to deal with it. However, I’m looking forward to it because our hitters are in good condition.”
Wilkerson, who had endured well with 4-point support from the other line, left a regret in the bottom of the 5th inning.
He struck out Kang Seung-ho, caught Park Joon-young with a fly in center field, and left 1 out count until the victory pitcher requirement, but from that point on, he struggled quite a bit.
After being hit by a double by Lee Yu-chan, Su-bin was sent out for a walk. Subsequently, Heo Gyeong-min, who had a good sense of hitting, threw an error and allowed 2 RBIs on time. Catcher Yoo Kang-nam led outside, but Wilkerson’s second fastball went to the center.
Still, Wilkerson ended the inning with no additional runs by inducing Kim Jae-hwan to the second baseman’s ground ball while being chased by 4-2.
Lotte replaced Wilkerson at the beginning of the 6th inning and put in the second pitcher, Seung-Min Koo.