|
[LA=스포츠서울 문상열전문기자] Texas Rangers Yang Hyeon-jong pitched his second Arizona Cactus League pitch with two innings, one hit and three strikeouts.
Yang Hyeon-jong, who is participating in the Cactus League as an invited player, made a five-time rescue appearance following the starter Kyle Cody in the Milwaukee Brewers expedition at the Americanly Family Field in Phoenix, Arizona on the 14th (Korean time). The first batter Garrett Mitchell was allowed a heavy hit, but he struck out veteran Jackie Bradley Jr. in 3 pitches, and even the runner who tried to steal base was thinned out by the catcher’s convoy, which escaped the risk of concession. Bradley Jr. is a veteran who played for the Boston Red Sox until last season and recently signed a two-year contract with Milwaukee for $24 million. After the runner was gone, second hitter Abigail Garcia ended the inning with a fly at shortstop.
It was cleaner in episode 6. After catching lead hitter Jack Green as a left fielder fly, Dylan Kozens and designated hitter Billy McKinney struck out in a row to finish the inning. With 20 pitches, he showed a much better pitch than at the start of the first demonstration game while facing 6 batters. It showed a high rate of 65% with 13 strikes. In the first start, 12 out of 21 strikes were 57% per inning. All three hitters who struck out were left-handed hitters. The match was played in 7 innings that day, and a 4-4 draw was recorded. The catcher who became a battery in Yang’s second pitch was Duryu Butera (37), who also worked in the Los Angeles Dodgers and went through all of the maternity battles.
|
In the video interview after the game, Yang Hyeon-jong said, “We are getting better and better against the batter, and the pitching balance is good. My physical condition was not 100%, so I started with an anxious mind. Today’s fastball speed wasn’t very good, but the tip of the ball wasn’t bad.”
The keyword for the interview on this day was curve. The curve also stood out as a deciding ball against Milwaukee. The pitching coach also ordered to use the curve often. Yang Hyun-jong said, “In the KBO league, batters did not aim for the curve, so we used it to get the count. However, in the major leagues, hitters are so strong that they allow long hits while trying to catch the count. The catchers did the same, and the power analysts said the curve was not bad and recommended throwing it often. We plan to raise the curves and throw a good change ball with low control.”
[email protected]