As he waited for a long time, he pitched satisfactorily. Elijah Hernandez (29) of the LG Twins made LG fans excited from his first appearance on the mound with his perfect pitching.
Hernandez pitched 78 pitches in a 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 8th, allowing two hits (one homer) and one walk, seven strikeouts and one run in five innings.
After signing his contract on April 19, Hernandez joined the team on April 25 and took the mound after a long preparation period. With less than 50 games to go, he invested 440,000 U.S. dollars and even all of them were guaranteed. He must have wanted to use it as soon as possible, but he will not be able to adjust to the jet lag until 10 days later. “I think I will have to leave the rotation at least twice,” manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, expressing patience, and Hernandez actually got his first chance to take the mound after well over 10 days.
“I hope Hernandez throws well today and the starting lineup will be the center,” coach Yeom said before the match. “The hardest thing is that there is no center between the starting lineup and the starting lineup. There should be players at the center.”
A Venezuelan national, Hernandez joined the Miami Marlins in 2018. Based on his robust physique measuring 185 centimeters and weighing 97 kilograms, he pitched in 99 games (49 starts), recording 10 wins and 22 losses and an ERA of 5.10. This season, he flew to Korea with one loss and 15.2 innings of ERA remaining in nine big league games.먹튀검증
LG Hernandez is pitching hard against Doosan on the 8th.
Hernandez’s turnaround pitching was needed to turn the mood around at a time when he lost four consecutive games in August and lost two consecutive games to Doosan, tied with 6-6. In the bottom of the first inning, he gave up a solo home run after being hit by a 146km/h cutter thrown at Jared Young with one out and no runner, but he pitched a stable pitch afterward.
He finished the second and third innings by throwing out three outs, but gave up only one hit in the fourth inning to end the inning after four batters later. He also led a batter to end the inning after three batters in the fifth inning. He pitched just 78 pitches, but he did not overdo it from the first day.
He threw 78 pitches in a wide variety of repertoires. Fastball with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour and an average of 147 kilometers per hour was the most common with 35 pitches, but the other six were cutters (average 143 kilometers), five sliders (average 148 kilometers) and curves (average 119 kilometers), four sliders (average 137 kilometers), and two change-ups (average 136 kilometers). The most impressive was the guitar type with an average of 133 kilometers, which was the sweeper who used the most 21 pitches other than the four-seam. He overwhelmed Doosan batters by playing seven different pitches.
LG ranks third in this category with Team ERA 4.68. The team also ranks third with 4.48. It is not a bad performance, but Son Joo-young, who is the first full-time starter this season, is displaying the most stable pitching, which lacks a solid ace card. Hernandez, who took the mound for the first time on the day, left a strong impression to become the center of the starting lineup, just like Yeom wanted.
Hernandez pitching.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also expressed his satisfaction. “Congratulations on Hernandez’s first win in the KBO and how the first game will go after coming to the league, but I think it’s a relief that we have created an atmosphere where we can expect from a good start,” he said. “As a starter, he pitched well within 70 to 80 innings that he expected by mixing right-handed hitters with sweepers and left-handed hitters with sliders.”
Hernandez said, “I feel very good and I’m satisfied that I started my first game well,” adding, “Most of all, I’m very happy to win today because the team hasn’t won in the past two games (against Doosan).”
Contrary to the content of the game, Hernandez said he was quite nervous. “When I went to the mound in the first inning, I was very nervous and wondered if I could play well today, but I was able to finish the game well because the fans cheered me on,” he said.
Five of the seven strikeouts he had on the day were sliders’ pitches. He bullied Doosan batters by throwing them into three categories: general sliders, cutters with smaller angles and sweeper that curves more horizontally. “Sweeper has thrown throughout his career, and there is one slider that falls hard,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez responds to the crowd with applause as he heads to the dugout after the inning.
He throws a wide variety of pitches, but the coaching staff advised him that curves are needed for his ball control. “I’ve been practicing my curves recently, and overall they came out well in my hands and I’m satisfied with my ball control,” Hernandez said. “I pitched well with confidence as I practiced.” He showed off his genius ability to acquire and use even the newly learned pitches in practice.
Throwing all the various pitches at a high level and having excellent control above all else is the background that instills high expectations for LG, which has to run toward the championship. Hernandez said, “The decision ball depends on the batter’s inclination and situation,” adding, “I think the pitches can be a decision ball depending on the situation, and I think they are the pitches that can overwhelm the batters.”
As for the KBO League hitters who experienced it for the first time, he said, “The tendency was quite aggressive. In a way, I think it’s working in a better way for me.” He is confident that it can be easier for batters to induce bats because he can throw various pitches freely.
The only variable is physical strength. Hernandez, who threw 78 pitches on the day, said, “I’m in good physical condition, but I had some physical difficulties. I’ll be able to throw up to 100 pitches in the next game.”
He does not have to worry about the heat. “I’m from Venezuela, but the weather in Korea is similar to that of Venezuela these days. I threw it comfortably because I was used to and used to the hot weather,” he said without much hesitation.