Has he finally adjusted to the KBO?
Kia Tigers foreign pitcher Will Crowe recorded his first quality start in just his fourth career start.
Crowe pitched six innings of five-hit, one-walk, eight-strikeout, two-run (unearned) ball in a quality start against the LG Twins at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Nov. 11 to earn his third win of the season in an 8-4 victory.
It was a shaky first inning. A hit and an error gave up the first run. Hong Chang-ki singled to lead off and Park Hae-min singled to second to put runners on first and third with nobody out. Then, a throw to first base hit Park’s right arm and went out, resulting in the first run. Then, No. 3 Kim Hyun-soo hit a ball that first baseman Lee Woo-sung dropped behind the plate, allowing Park to score from second. 0-2.
But Crowe quickly settled down. He struck out Austin in the fourth on a grounder to shortstop and struck out Moon Bo-kyung in the fifth on a wild pitch.
After striking out Oh Ji-hwan and Park Dong-won in the top of the second and getting Moon Sung-joo to fly out to center field to end the inning, Crowe retired Shin Min-jae, Hong Chang-ki, and Park Hae-min in order in the top of the third.
The KIA bats exploded in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs to take a 4-2 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning with the lead, the Kia bats were in scoring position, but were unable to capitalize. In the top of the fourth, Moon gave up a double down the left field line to Bo-Kyung Moon, but he got Oh Hwan to fly out to left field.
In the top of the fifth, Shin Min-jae walked and Hong Chang-ki singled to right-center to put runners on second and third, but Park got Hae-min Park to ground out to shortstop to end the threat. In the top of the sixth, he gave up a two-out double to Moon Bo-kyung in left, but struck out Oh Ji-hwan to end the inning.
Crowe, who threw a total of 104 pitches, threw 41 fastballs that topped out at 153 mph and added six offspeed pitches that touched 152 mph. He threw 23 changeups, 22 sliders, 10 sweepers, and two curves. He used a variety of pitches to keep the LG bats in check.
Crowe, who won the opener against Kiwoom with five runs (four earned) on six hits in 5⅔ innings, was worried about his second start against Doosan on March 30, when he gave up five runs on six hits in 4⅓ innings. However, he regained his composure on March 5 against Samsung 바카라사이트 Electronics to earn his second win with five innings of two-hit ball, three walks, and no runs while striking out three, and he showed signs of gradually adjusting to the KBO with his first quality start against LG.
After the game, Crowe said, “I got down two runs in the first inning, but I didn’t let the momentum get to me and stuck to my game plan. I was able to get through the sixth inning without giving up any more runs, just focusing on the batters. It’s been almost eight years since I’ve pitched six innings and over 100 pitches, so it was a little tough, but I’m happy I still had some energy when I took the mound in the sixth inning.”
“Before the game, I talked a lot with my catcher, Joon Han, about how I was going to face the LG hitters, and with the help of the power analytics team and a lot of video of their hitters, I came up with a game plan. From the first pitch to the last, I had a good rhythm with him. My pitches were good in general,” he said. “I’m also encouraged by the fans who support me every time I pitch. It’s amazing that they support me so much at home and away, and I will always live up to their expectations,” he said.
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