He remained calm even after losing points. Detrick Nence, a foreign pitcher of the LG Twins, successfully challenged for his fifth win of this season.메이저놀이터
Ens started Game 7 of the season against the SSG Landers of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 28th and contributed to the team’s 7-5 victory by pitching well with four hits, one out and nine strikeouts and two runs in six innings.
Ensuring his fifth win of this season, he became the winning pitcher for the first time in 18 days since the game against Lotte Giants on Wednesday. This is the third time that Ens has struck out more than nine in a game since the game against Kiwoom in Gocheok on March 29 (with 11 strikeouts) and the game against KIA in Gwangju on April 10. He pitched 101 pitches (68 strikes and 33 balls), followed by fastballs (48), cutters (17), curves (15), changeups (11) and sliders (10 pitches). The maximum speed of his fastballs was 151 km/h.
Before the game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop told reporters about Cha Myung-seok’s departure from the U.S. during an interview. “I think we will see four to five candidates. It takes more than a month to recruit them. Even after we look at all the candidates, we have to wait and see if they can sign the contract and release it there,” he said. “Since one of them is going to the U.S. anyway, we have no choice but to decide who is the best among the two players. We will see them with a cool head.”
LG, along with Casey Kelly, has decided that N.S. did not meet expectations. Prior to the game, N.S. had been marking four wins and two losses with a 5.43 ERA in 11 ⅓ and 56 games, and was sluggish in four ⅓ with eight hits, one out and four strikeouts (three earned runs) in four innings against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on Tuesday last week.
As he took the mound in desperate need, he got off to a flying start. He got a hit from Heredia in the bottom of the first inning when Jihoon Choi and Park Sung-han were hit by fly ball and strikeout, respectively, but Han Yu-seom’s strikeout ended the inning.
Encouraged by Hong Chang-ki’s three-run homer in the top of the second inning, Ence continued his cruise in the bottom of the second inning. He sent out the leadoff hitter Ko Myung-joon due to an error in throwing to the second baseman, but induced follow-up hitter Lee Ji-young to hit a double play, and Ha Jae-hoon’s strikeout ended the inning. On top of that, the batters scored four runs en masse in the top of the third inning, making it 7-0 and Ence’s mind became much lighter.
It was in the bottom of the third inning that the scoreless streak ended. N.C. got a hit by leadoff hitter Jung Joon-jae, and after Choi Kyung-mo’s sacrifice bunt, Jihoon Choi got a timely hit with one out and a runner on second base. Park Sung-han’s grounder to the second base seemed to take a breather, but Herredia’s timely hit with two outs and a runner on second base allowed another run. N.C. got a sigh when Han Yu-seom struck out a runner on first base with two outs.
Starting in the bottom of the fourth inning, N.C.E.L. ended the inning with Lee Ji-young’s strikeout and Ha Jae-hoon’s double play after leading hitter Koh Myung-joon walked, and met both winning pitcher and quality start requirements by closing both the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings with three outs.
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop, who called on N.S. to make more efforts ahead of the game, also praised him, saying, “Before the game, the pitching coach and the power analysis team suggested using high zones a lot in today’s game, but N.S. performed well. As he showed good pitching, I’m looking forward to the next game.”
“I pitched confidently because the batting line scored, and I think throwing to my best led to a good result. I’m satisfied that I threw well, and it helped my team win,” Ns said after the game. “I struggled in recent games and couldn’t contribute to my team’s victory, but I feel very good today. I’m in good shape.”
“The biggest factor that allowed me to play well was taking advantage of the ball count. Since then, I pitched aggressively because the fielders scored a lot of points in the early stages of my batting,” he said. “While preparing for the starting pitcher, I focused on refining my fastball pitching and practiced to make a movement that went up until the end, and that part worked out well.”
It is true that LG, which is looking beyond fall baseball, cannot watch foreign pitchers’ sluggishness, but the best scenario is that Ence will rebound after June. The head coach also said, “The best thing is that two players, Kelly and Ence, remain on the team. It is best for the team to revive the two players through this opportunity.”
“I’m trying my best to be as positive as possible, more than anything else. There are times when things go well or don’t go well during a season. My teammates and coaches are helping me, so I think if I do my best, there will be good results,” Nce said. “I’m grateful for the fans’ support, and I was able to throw my ball on the mound thanks to that energy.”