The dignity of Ryu Hyun-jin’s defeat is the impact of the steel plate in the second inning of the fireballer walk show.
Where did the majesty of beating Toronto ace Ryu Hyun-jin on Liberation Day go? Japanese major leaguer Yusei Kikuchi (Seattle Mariners) suffered the humiliation of at least innings of the season.
Kikuchi started an away game against the Houston Astros in the 2021 Major League Baseball at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on the 7th (Korea Standard Time) and lost his eighth game of the season (7 wins) due to three hits (one home run), four walks, and six runs (four earned runs) in one 1이닝3 innings.
The first inning against 0-0 was easy. He gave up a walk to lead Jose Altuve, but finished the inning without losing a point with a fly ball to left field with the runner’s failure to steal second base with one out.
The ball suddenly shook in the second inning when it was still 0-0. Lead Carlos Correa, Yulieski Guriel, and Kyle Tucker allowed three consecutive walks, causing a full base with no outs. Corea and Tucker were straight walks. After giving up two runs in vain due to a second baseman’s error, Jake Myers hit a three-run homer to the left.
Kikuchi, who barely caught his first out count with a fly ball to center field only when he met Martin Maldonado, the sixth batter in the second inning. However, Pyeonghwa also allowed an additional run with an RBI double by Alvarez on second base with two outs, which was briefly hit by Altuve’s double.
Kikuchi eventually handed over the mound to Justus Sheffield in the second inning with two outs and runners on second base, trailing 0-6, and finished the game bitterly. The ERA soared from 4.12 to 4.32 and the team also lost 2-11 to Houston. 1이닝3 innings were the lowest innings of the season, surpassing 2이닝3 innings (7 runs) against Houston on August 21.
What the hell was the problem? Of the 42 pitches, Kikuchi had only 19 strikes or less. And the main pitch, fastball (23 pitches), repeatedly left the strike zone, leading to a long hit. Unlike the match against Houston on the 1st, when he pitched seven scoreless innings, none of the manned balls worked.
Kikuchi said after the game, “Unlike the last match against Houston, today was not good. I couldn’t control my ball, and I couldn’t pitch aggressively by giving up walks to the leadoff hitter, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with my body.”
On this day, his control, not his body, caused trouble. “When I can explain why the ball went there, I don’t call it a slump,” Kikuchi said adding, “I felt something different when I threw it today. I can’t wait to overcome the current situation, he said.
Seattle, ranked second in the American League West, has to defeat Toronto, Boston, and the New York Yankees in the wild card competition to go to autumn baseball 안전놀이터
“The season is just around the corner, and every important game continues,” Kikuchi said adding, “I will fight preciously every game while obsessing over the results so that I can be of help to the team.”