Professional baseball player Eliezer Hernandez of the LG Twins has regained his 'El Dong-won' mode.
Hernandez started as the pitcher on the 15th in a game against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, showcasing a perfect performance with 6 innings pitched, no hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and no runs earned, becoming the winning pitcher. He threw 79 pitches through the 6th inning with a no-hitter but was replaced due to thigh tightness during the game. After that, Kim Jin-sung, Park Myung-geun, and Jang Hyun-sik each threw an inning to achieve the team’s no-hit shutout. LG won 3-0.
In his season debut, Hernandez showed powerful pitching with 7 innings, 1 hit allowed, 8 strikeouts, and no runs earned but has been battered in his last two games. He allowed 8 runs in ⅔ innings and 4 runs in 5⅓ innings, resulting in a 2-game earned run average of 18.00. Afterward, Manager Yeom Kyung-yeob noted, "Hernandez knows the cause of his struggles. The pitching coach and the analytics team will talk to him."
Hernandez pitched at a fast pace in the game against Samsung and used a lot of breaking balls in the 1st to 3rd innings. He didn't use pitch comm and threw immediately after catcher Park Dong-won signaled him with his hand. He recorded a top fastball speed of 151 km/h, throwing 36 fastballs, 21 curveballs, 10 sliders, 8 changeups, and 4 two-seam fastballs.
From the 1st to the 5th inning, he struck out a batter every inning and was perfect. In the 1st inning, with one out, he struck out Ryu Ji-hyeok with a fastball (148 km/h) for a standing strikeout, and Gu Ja-wook with a changeup (141 km/h) for a swinging strikeout. In the 2nd inning, he struck out Kang Min-ho with a slider (129 km/h) for a swinging strikeout, and Kim Heon-gon with a curveball (124 km/h) for another swinging strikeout. In the 3rd inning, he again struck out lead-off hitter Yoon Jung-bin with a curveball (123 km/h) for a swinging strikeout.
Even after the Samsung batting order went through once, Hernandez's pitches were unhittable. In the 4th inning, the 1st to 3rd batters went down in order. In the 5th inning, 30% hitter Kang Min-ho popped up infield, Diaz struck out looking, and Kim Heon-gon grounded out to the infield.
In the 6th inning, he struck out Yoon Jung-bin with three curveballs for a strikeout. Kim Young-woong was caught for a standing strikeout with a low fastball (146 km/h). The perfect game was broken when he hit Lee Jae-hyun with a pitch. Lee Jae-hyun fell after being hit on the right elbow and was unable to get up due to pain for a while. The training coach came out to check on his condition, and Lee Jae-hyun's right arm trembled, as captured on the broadcast.
With a worried expression, Hernandez approached the batter's box, took off his cap, and apologized to Lee Jae-hyun. Lee Jae-hyun, sitting in the batter's box, nodded slightly in acknowledgment of Hernandez's apology. Shortly after, Lee Jae-hyun fortunately walked to first base without a major injury. Subsequently, Hernandez finished his outing with no hits and no runs allowed, striking out Kim Sung-yoon for a foul fly to the third baseman with two outs and a runner on first.
After the game, Hernandez commented on the condition of his thigh, saying, "I felt a bit uncomfortable in the lower part of my thigh while pitching in the 4th inning, but the training coaches massaged me, and it feels okay now."
Hernandez's no-hit performance made the team's no-hitter record possible. Hernandez stated, "First of all, it's a very pleasant victory. I think the no-hitter record is a result of not only my good performance but also the excellent work of the pitchers who followed me."
He was perfect until two outs in the 6th inning. He pitched 6 innings with a no-hitter and was replaced due to thigh muscle tightness. Hernandez mentioned, "I didn’t think much about the situation with two outs in the 6th inning, but when I came out, I felt a bit regretful. However, I believe the timing for me to come out was just right because my health is a priority."
Having struggled in the previous two games, it seems he found his balance. Hernandez noted, "I felt that I hadn’t been able to do what I needed to do in my last two games, but it seems I overcame that a bit today. Moreover, the season is long, so I still have a lot of things to do."
Regarding his recent poor pitching, Hernandez remarked, "I don’t know why, but in the KT game, I don’t think I was able to pitch aggressively. The last game (against Kiwoom) wasn't a bad result, but I think I had trouble after giving up three home runs. Today, I think I’ve shown the pitching I’m capable of, so I believe I've overcome that."
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