A foreign pitcher breaks his team’s seven-game losing streak with a 113-pitch 10K. A pitching coach who was thrilled to see his teammate execute a routine in the rain the next day. He was also envious of the ‘it’ he didn’t have…
The Doosan-Lotte game scheduled for the weekend was canceled due to rain for two consecutive days. On the first day, the field was soaked with rainwater that it was impossible to play at all. On the second day, the rain stopped briefly in the afternoon, forcing fans to head to Sajik Stadium. However, the rain resumed and didn’t stop before kickoff. Eventually, the stewards postponed the game to Monday.
Meanwhile, Lotte snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win over Hanwha on August 31. Foreign pitcher Aaron Wilkerson was a big reason why. Wilkerson threw 113 pitches through the sixth inning, striking out 10, walking five and giving up two runs (unearned) on one hit to help his team to a 5-2 victory.
After throwing 113 pitches, which could have been a lot, Wilkerson took the field the next day for a one-day recovery session. It was raining, but he went through his routine. Pitching coach Kim Hyun-wook came out to watch Wilkerson’s catch.
“Wilkerson has his own routine,” said Kim. Even though he threw so many pitches yesterday, he was still able to fulfill his routine,” said Kim.
After about 30 catches, Wilkerson thanked the staff for catching his balls, saying “thank you” with the correct pronunciation. When asked by Coach Kim how he was feeling, he responded with a confident, “Okay”.
When Wilkerson took off his hat after practice, his long, lush hair bounced around like a commercial. Coach Kim couldn’t hide his envy as he ran his hands through Wilkerson’s hair. The age difference between Kim, 53, born in 1970, and Wilkerson, 34, born in 1989, is a testament to their youth.
Wilkerson, who replaced Stratley on July 26, is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in seven appearances since making his debut. He has five quality starts in those seven games. As a result, Lotte has won five games with Wilkerson on the mound.스포츠토토
Along with Barnes, a lefty who has rebounded in the second half of the season, Wilkerson’s mound has been solid. This is why Lotte can’t abandon their top-five hopes just yet. Lotte has already rotated the two foreign pitchers on four days’ rest.
It will be interesting to see if Wilkerson, who has been sticking to his routine and giving the team confidence, can continue to perform well in the remaining games.