In baseball, LG Twins foreign pitcher Eliezer Hernandez was moved to the bullpen instead of starting in the semifinals. It’s a sacrifice for a team with a weak bullpen.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yup said before the semifinals at Jamsil Stadium on Thursday, “Hernandez will pitch in the bullpen. The second pitcher after the starter is important. Hernandez should play that role. He should pitch one or two innings and go out in every game in a winning game.”
After four days of workouts, Hernandez said, “I’m mentally prepared because I’ve been in the middle of the rotation during the season. What I’m focused on is helping the team win. I want to help the team win, and that’s all I’m thinking about, and if I can do that, I’m fine,” said Hernandez, who readily accepted the change from starting to the bullpen.
After signing with LG in late July and making his KBO debut in early August, Hernandez went 3-2 with one save and one hold in 11 appearances. He has also pitched two games out of the bullpen. On August 29, he pitched one scoreless inning against KT and on September 21, he pitched two scoreless innings in the second game of a doubleheader against Doosan.
Against Doosan,
He threw just five pitches in the first inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader before being ejected for throwing a head shot at Heo Kyung-min, and then pitched the eighth inning of Game 2 to earn the save. It was the fourth time in history that he started Game 1 of a doubleheader and pitched out of the bullpen in Game 2. Hernandez said, 메이저사이트 “I’m a guy who likes to compete and fight on the mound. When the manager puts me in a situation like that, I think it’s only right that I do my job,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez added a new curveball to his arsenal during the interview, and it’s a funny story.
“At first, I thought it was the same, so I threw it confidently, but after a few games, I realized that the other team knew what I was throwing, so I started mixing it up,” Hernandez said. ”American hitters want to hit home runs and long balls, but Korean hitters are more focused on making in-play pitches and making contact. So I thought it was harder to strike out, so I felt different from the U.S.,” he said.
Hernandez had a very low curveball percentage in the United States.
In the second half of the season, he increased his use of the curveball. His pitches improved with the addition of the new pitch, including striking out batters with the curve. “I learned the curveball grip from my interpreter, Jongmin Jung,” Hernandez said.
“I tried throwing with the grip he showed me and it worked well, so I kept practicing. The curve grip I used to throw in the U.S. was uncomfortable. I had to learn the curve in a short period of time, so I tried it once with the interpreter, and luckily it worked well for me,” he said with a laugh.
“I play social baseball as a hobby,” said Jung Jong-min next to him. I’m a pitcher. When I told him (Hernandez) that I also throw a curveball, he asked me to show him my curve grip, so I showed him.” “I learned it from Chan-kyu Lim, and I showed it to Hernandez. In effect, Lim taught Hernandez. Hernandez asked Chan-gyu Lim afterward,” he added.
Game 1, closer Yoo Young-chan will not pitch due to a father’s illness. Hernandez may have to close out Game 1. “I’m excited, but I’m also nervous. When I go out there, I have to do what I can do as a pitcher, and I have to fight with the hitters,” he said.