Over the winter, the faces of more than half of foreign players have changed.
There are also teams that have changed all three foreigners, such as SSG Landers, NC Dinos, and Doosan Bears.
On the other hand, there are teams that have not changed a single member. Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants.
Of the two teams, Samsung is the only case where all three players who played the full season last year renewed their contracts. That’s how strong Samsung’s 1989 foreign trio was.
10 of the club’s best performances. José Pirella, an outside hitter, played an MVP-level performance, competing with Lee Jung-hoo for most of the batting titles.
David Buchanan and Albert Suarez were active as stable one-two punches.
However, Buchanan, who was in his third year, did not win as much as he had in the past two years. The ace who broke Samsung’s foreign pitcher brutality by recording more than 15 wins in two consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, it was only 11 wins (8 losses). Still, through skillful pitching, he reduced the number of walks and lowered his ERA to 3.04.
This season, which will be in its 4th year, is expected to further enhance the perfection of the seasoned eight-color bird pitching.
The start is refreshing.
On the 23rd, Buchanan, who took the mound as the starting pitcher for the blue team at Akama Ball Park in Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan, pitched 7 batters in 2 innings without a hit and 1 walk and no run. Out of 6 out counts, 3 strikeouts were half of them.
The maximum speed is 145km. Instead of power pitching, he checked curveballs and other breaking balls.
After the game, Buchanan said, “Today, I pitched mainly on the curve. In the first inning, my breaking ball was shaken, but during the inning shift, coach Kwon Oh-joon advised me to throw it comfortably like a fastball, so I threw it comfortably like a fastball. Overall, I think I pitched well.” I was satisfied with my first real match.
Suarez, who debuted in the KBO League last year, played an S-class role with a strong pitch and various breaking balls.
He played 173⅔ innings in 30 games and finished fourth with an ERA of 2.49. There were 19 quality starts. But no luck.
Without support from the batting line and bullpen, they only recorded 6 wins and 8 losses, let alone 10 wins. It was nicknamed ‘Sukrai’.
According to KBO official record company Sports 2I, Suarez’s scoring support per game was 2.76 points, which was the lowest among starting pitchers.
However, Suarez calmly did his job even in the midst of severe misfortune. It is a pitch that can rise to the ranks of 15-win pitchers if there is a win this season.
In fact, Suarez was the actual ace of Samsung last year. In WAR calculated by Stattis, Suarez leads Buchanan’s 3.80 at 5.28. This year, he has to play the role of the first starter with a strong pitch.
Suarez, who started as a starter for the back team, recorded one hit and no run in two innings, striking out four. The maximum speed is 149km.
It was to the point of warming up by inspecting the changing balls. He showed confidence, saying, “Today, I pitched mostly breaking pitches (curve, changeup, cutter). I liked the contents of my first live pitching pitch. If I refine it a little more, I think I can show a good image in the season.”슬롯사이트
The Samsung Lions had relatively little external power reinforcement throughout the winter. The performance of Suarez and Buchanan, an ace duo that can break the losing streak, has become very important. The start is refreshing.