NC Taylor Widener has been in and out of hot and cold water.
In his KBO debut against Doosan on the 30th of last month, Widener threw six innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine and walking none, using a fastball that reached a maximum speed of 151km/h.
However, it was a different story on the 6th against Daegu Samsung Electronics. He gave up nine runs on nine hits in 4⅔ innings with four walks and four strikeouts. His first loss of the season. His fastball was only 148km/h.안전놀이터
Manager Kang Myung-ho said before the game against Samsung in Daegu on the 7th, “It was so different from my first start. I panicked in the first inning. My fastball speed was less than in my first start. Above all, the percentage of fastball strikes dropped significantly, and the difference between strikes and balls was huge.”
There were some concerns that the decline in his fastball might indicate a physical problem, but Kang said, “There is nothing wrong with my body.”
Left-hander Jung Goo-beom, the second pitcher after Widener, pitched 1⅓ innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
“He pitched as well as we expected,” Kang said. He gave up a run, but his fastball was fast, and his ability to manage the game at a young age was outstanding. His strikeouts were also impressive.”
He was also pleased with his curveball, saying, “I didn’t use it much before, but this time I used it as a deciding pitch after two strikes.”
“I’m thinking of using it as a substitute starter if there is a gap in the starting lineup,” he said of his future plans.
Meanwhile, NC’s batting order is right fielder Son Ah-seop, second baseman Seo Ho-cheol, centre fielder Park Gun-woo, left fielder Kwon Hee-dong, designated hitter Jason Martin, third baseman Park Seok-min, catcher Park Se-hyuk, shortstop Kim Joo-won and first baseman Do Tae-hoon.