The ‘fastball duo’ is in charge of the tiger corps mound. KIA Tigers’ new foreign pitchers Sean Anderson (29, USA) and Adonis Medina (28, Dominican Republic) pledged to play an active part, saying, “It seems like I was born again.”
KIA put Anderson and Medina in turn in a practice game against the Samsung Lions on the 1st. Starter Anderson recorded two perfect innings. He struck out three with his offensive pitching. Medina, who threw the 3rd and 4th innings, gave up 3 hits and allowed 1 run, but her sinker pitch was excellent. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk also commented, “I pitched well in the first real game.”
Anderson said, “I am satisfied with the result of working hard and working in harmony with my teammates and coaches. I talked a lot with catcher Han Seung-taek and prepared a lot.” Regarding his uniform number (number 64), he said, “It has a special meaning because it was written in his big league debut during his time with the San Francisco Giants.” Medina said, “I’m satisfied with throwing as I prepared. I’m used to the official ball.”
KIA had a hard time last year because of foreign pitchers. Sean Nolin missed more than half of the first half with a calf injury. Ronnie Williams was kicked out after 10 games. Substitute Thomas Panoni recorded an average ERA of 2.79 with 3 wins and 4 losses in 14 games, but was sluggish in the postseason. In the end, KIA chose to replace all of them, and recruited right-handed fastball pitchers.
Anderson went 3-5 with an ERA of 5.84 in 63 major league games. But in the minor leagues, he went 24-17 with a 3.72 earned run average in 113 games. Medina also stayed in 19 games in the MLB, but in the minors, he recorded 36 wins and 33 losses with an ERA of 3.83 in 135 games. 온라인바카라
Anderson and Medina’s strengths are by far their fast balls. Anderson is 1m93cm tall and weighs 102kg, making use of his large physique to spray up to 154km/h. Medina is smaller than Anderson (height 1m85cm, weight 84kg), but throws powerfully with soft foam. In his first appearance, Anderson recorded the best of 153 km and Medina of 150 km. Medina said, “Restriction is not important, but I want to raise it more.” Anderson also said, “Redemption will rise more.”
KIA has national left-handers Yang Hyeon-jong and Lee Eui-ri. If only foreign pitchers do well, they will build the best starting lineup in the league. Anderson said, “I’ve been working with strength coaches to throw long innings (I’ve been throwing mainly in the bullpen for the past three years). I’m focusing on recovery training, warm-up, diet management, and weight training.” Medina also said, “I’m at 70% right now. It’s getting better.”
KIA had a hard time because of the plane while moving to the second camp in Okinawa after completing the first training in Arizona, USA. It encountered severe turbulence and made an emergency landing at Ontario Airport instead of LA Airport, which was the stopover. The players who took three days to move all shook their heads whenever the mention of an airplane was mentioned. Choi Hyeong-woo, the best” I never want to fly on a plane again. Do I have to do domestic training next year?”
Anderson laughed, “The weather was really bad. When the captain made an in-flight announcement, my colleagues (who can speak English) looked at me. They said it was okay, so ‘calm down'” and laughed. He continued, “I think this will help the players wake up and do well.” Medina said, “I thought I was going to die. Because I was born again, I will be able to show my best skills.”
She is also getting used to life in Korea. Anderson smiled and said, “I enjoy Korean food and culture, and I am studying Korean. I will be able to do interviews in Korean in the Korean series.” Medina laughed, saying, “Socrates Britoga, who is also from Dominican Republic, helped me a lot, so I adapted quickly. The food goes well with me. I eat deliciously, but this is the first time I’ve ever had such spicy food.”
Last year, KIA ranked 5th, but was eliminated in the wild card match. This year we look a little higher. If both pitchers throw a lot, it’s a high enough braid. “I know the team’s expectations. I want to throw 200 innings,” Anderson said. Medina said, “I don’t care about individual performance. It’s important for the team to produce good results. The goal is to pitch 180 innings.”