There was a Korean pitcher like '159km bang', good pitching for his return to ML...Expectations for the WBC national team rise
There was a Korean pitcher like '159km bang', good pitching for his return to ML...Expectations for the WBC national team rise
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Korean-American pitcher Riley O'Brien (30) threw a 159 kilometer per hour fastball in his Major League comeback game. It was a remarkable pitch as he is one of the candidates for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korean national baseball team next year.토토사이트
O'Brien was called up from Triple-A Memphis Redbirds ahead of the home game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the 6th (Korea Standard Time).
O'Brien, who took the mound in relief in the seventh inning from the first day of the call-up, pitched one hit, no outs, and no runs in one ⅔ inning, setting the stage for St. Louis' 6-5 come-from-behind victory.
O'Brien took over the mound from starting pitcher Myles Micolas in the seventh inning when his team was losing 0-3, and grounded out Kyle Isbell to the first and Jonathan India to the third, before striking out special batter By Wit Jr. with a curve ball count of 2-2, which fell to the middle of the fifth pitch, he stole Wit Jr.'s swing and miss.
St. Louis Cardinals' closing pitcher O'Brien's good pitching drove in two runs in the seventh inning. O'Brien took the mound again in the eighth inning, induced Maikel Garcia to ground out to the shortstop, and allowed Vinny Pasquantino to hit a right-handed hit to get on base for the first time. However, he handled Salvador Perez's infield fly ball to the first base and handed over the mound to John King with two outs and a runner on the first base.
With a total of 25 pitches, he successfully played multiple innings by using curves and sliders (six or more) as the centerpiece of sinker (13) with maximum speed of 98.6 miles (158.7 kilometers) and average of 97.7 miles (157.2 kilometers). He also lowered his ERA for this season from 10.00 to 6.23.
O'Brien has continued to move up and down the Major League and Triple-A this year. He failed to make the opening roster despite three innings of three hits, two walks and six strikeouts in an exhibition game, and made his first call-up of the season on April 26. He had one hold in three ⅔, but had three hits (one homer) and one walk, two strikeouts and three runs with an earned run average of 10.00 in two innings, which was not good enough.
At Triple-A Memphis, he pitched 19 games (19 ⅓ innings) this season with one win, three saves and an earned run average of 2.79 strikeouts. If O'Brien, who showed good pitching on the first day of his second call-up, secures a spot in the St. Louis bullpen as it is, it could be a boon to the Korean WBC team next year.
O'Brien is a Korean-right-hander born to an American father and a Korean mother with a Korean middle name called "Junyoung." O'Brien, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 229th overall pick in the eighth round in the 2017 draft and traded to the Cincinnati Reds in August 2020, was called up in late September 2021 to fulfill his Major League debut dream. O'Brien, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners after being dealt with as a transfer (DFA) in April 2022, spent most of his time in the minor leagues until 2023 after taking the mound in May of that year.
Although he did not have many chances due to his good pitching on the Seattle mound, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in November 2023 and joined the 40-man roster. Though he raised expectations by being included in the opening roster last year, he was listed as injured due to a sprained right forearm after taking the mound for the opening game. After four months of rehabilitation, he returned to the minor league and displayed potential by calling up again in late August. He has good angles of slashing sinker and curveball from 193 centimeters tall.
The Korean national team, which is putting all its life and death on the WBC in March next year, plans to attract not only Korean players playing in the U.S. but also Korean players to form the best team. Along with pitcher Mitch White (SSG Landers), infielder Tommy Edman (LA Dodgers), outfielder Rob Refsnyder (Boston Red Sox), and pitcher Dane Dunning (Triple A under the Texas Rangers), O'Brien is also a candidate for selection as a Korean-American player. The WBC allows even one of its parents, regardless of nationality, to play in the upcoming competition as a member of the national team. Edman was selected as a member of the Korean national team in the 2023 WBC and played as the first player of mixed race.