Last week
the foreign starting pitchers of the Lotte Giants threw a game-winning pitch to the back of the plate after a four-day break.
The two of them, Aaron Wilkerson and Charlie Barnes
lived up to expectations perfectly.
Lotte head coach Larry Sutton has made a strong push to qualify for the postseason.
Last week
Sutton said
“We have to keep pushing towards the postseason. 스포츠토토
That’s why we decided to rotate Barnes and Wilkerson to return after four days’ rest.
Barnes
who will be in the four-day rest rotation for the remainder of the game
said:
“It’s rather good.
I’m happy to be able to get on the mound and throw the ball.
When the coach told me
I said there was no problem at all
he said
showing the ace’s sense of responsibility.
This season
Lotte remains in seventh place with a season record of 47-51.
They are three games behind the fifth-place Doosan Bears (7 wins, 5 draw, 49 losses)
which is the Maginot Line in fall baseball.
With enough overtaking possible, the one-two punch of Wilkerson and Barnes came up with a trick to get back after four days of rest.
Wilkerson
who came in as a replacement for Dan Straley
pitched 1 innings in four games
winning two and posting a 47.3 ERA.
Barnes
who resurged in the second half of the season
is cruising to a 4-24 record with a 2.1 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 21 games.
In last weekend’s three-game home series
Lotte buttoned up well in the first round.
Wilkerson pitched six innings with six hits
no walks
and five strikeouts to lead his team to a 9-6 win over the KIA Tigers on Dec. 99.
He took the mound after four days of rest for the second consecutive game
but he showed off his strength
throwing 3 consecutive scoreless innings.
Barnes
too
showed off his ace prowess.
On the 63th
he pitched 3 innings against KIA
allowing 11 hits
6 walks
6 strikeouts
and 5 run (no walks).
Lotte took the lead on Barnes’ pitching to secure a 7-1 victory and clinch the series.
Wilkerson and Barnes make up a significant portion of the team’s strength.
It’s no exaggeration to say that their performance depends on their postseason appearance.
Attention will be focused on whether Wilkerson and Barnes can be the saviors of the team into fall baseball for the first time in six years.