LG Twins foreign pitcher Yoni Chirinos is showing signs of becoming a destroyer of the KBO League ecosystem. He has demonstrated the power of a 20-win pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Chirinos took the mound as the starting pitcher in a game against Doosan at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on the 12th, achieving his third win of the season (undefeated) with 6 innings pitched (100 pitches), allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 8 batters without giving up a run.

Chirinos recorded a strikeout in every inning through the 3rd, handling 9 batters in a row with groundouts. After 2 outs in the 4th, he allowed an infield single to Yang Eui-ji. A hard-hit ball hit the glove of shortstop Oh Ji-hwan and rolled into the outfield. He ended the inning by getting Choo Jae-hyun to hit a ground ball to shortstop. In the 5th, he struck out Yang Seok-hwan and Kang Seung-ho, ending the inning in order.

The 6th inning was the only crisis. He struck out Park Gye-beom but allowed an infield single towards second base to Park Jun-young. He successfully executed a double play from first base to second base on Jeong Soo-bin's ground ball to first base, but Doosan challenged the call, and it was overturned to safe at first base.

He allowed a hit to Cave. With 2 outs and runners on first and second, a slider missed slightly on a 1-ball, 2-strike count against Yang Eui-ji, resulting in a ball. He later walked him, creating a bases-loaded situation with 2 outs. He struck out Choo Jae-hyun on a swing for the final out, finishing without giving up a run.

The maximum speed of his two-seam fastball reached 153km/h. He threw 49 two-seamers, 28 forkballs, 22 sweepers, and 1 four-seam fastball. Chirinos, who started as the pitcher in the opening game, has achieved 3 wins with no losses and an earned run average of 1.80 in 4 games (25 innings), recording 28 strikeouts. He has delivered outstanding performances with at least 6 innings pitched and 2 runs or fewer allowed in all 4 games.

After joining the KBO League and becoming the top pitcher in the league, he shows the potential to follow in the footsteps of Eric Feddy (St. Louis Cardinals) and Kyle Hart (San Diego Padres), who returned to the Major Leagues.

The game was delayed by 1 hour due to rain before it started. There is a routine for starting pitchers, and waiting for an hour likely made it difficult to adjust their condition. Additionally, rain started falling again midway through the game, making for a challenging environment in multiple ways.

Nevertheless, Chirinos delivered an impressive performance. He noted, "The weather was bad, but my appearance was already decided. No matter the situation, I always strive to do my best in my given role and prepare well each time I take the mound. I wanted to show what I do best today," showing that the weather did not concern him.

He has achieved quality starts in 4 consecutive games, and moreover, he has allowed 2 runs or fewer in all of them. Chirinos said, "On the day I start, I aim to pitch at least 5 innings. It seems that when I have good results and then go through a good preparation process, good results always follow. Today's result ends with today's game, and I will continue to focus on preparing well for each game."

He threw 11 pitches against the leadoff batter Jeong Soo-bin in the 1st inning. The outcome was a groundout to shortstop. It was a tough start to the game. Chirinos commented on the style of KBO League batters, known for their cutting ability, saying, "It is not easy to face batters who make a lot of contact. These batters show persistence in the batter's box and are tough to deal with. I tried to get outs as quickly as I could with my aggressive pitching, which is what I do best."

In the 6th inning with 2 outs and runners on first and second, he threw a slider against Yang Eui-ji and confidently ran toward the dugout after a strike call, but he paused in disappointment as a ball call was made. After allowing a walk, the bases were loaded with 2 outs. He struck out Choo Jae-hyun swinging on a 150km two-seam fastball and let out a roar.

Chirinos said he was not at all nervous in the bases-loaded situation. He added that because it was raining heavily, he tried to concentrate more. He noted that the rain made his hands slippery, affecting his control a bit, but he focused more to overcome the tricky situation.

His two-seam fastball, which he refers to as a sinker, is powerful, reaching over 150km/h. Catcher Park Dong-won described Chirinos' two-seam fastball as having good movement, saying, "It's faster than expected. Normally, when a pitch is fast, it's hard to have a lot of movement, but both the speed and movement are impressive," indicating that the ball's movement makes it difficult for batters to make solid contact.

Chirinos expressed confidence, stating, "The sinker is the pitch I've thrown since debuting in the big leagues, and it is a pitch I'm confident in. It is the main pitch I use to attack batters. Because it is effective against batters, it helps me gain confidence and allows me to pitch longer innings."

The sinker has good movement, and he also has effective forkballs and sweepers for breaking balls. The forkball was powerful when he recorded strikeouts. Chirinos remarked, "The pitch I'm most confident in is the splitter. Since I've pitched in several games in the KBO, batters will analyze me. I'm trying to diversify my pitch combinations as much as possible."

[OSEN]