Foreign pitcher Ariel Hurado of the Samsung Lions received an unforgettable gift ahead of his 9th appearance of the season.
Hurado will start in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the LG Twins on the 10th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Up until this game, he has taken the mound 8 times, recording 2 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 2.21. He is demonstrating the prowess of a top starter, as he has achieved quality starts in all of his previous games.
He emphasized, "I believe that if I can pitch as many innings as possible, it helps manage the bullpen and contributes to the team's victory. All of this is the responsibility of the starting pitcher."
Ahead of the game, a coffee truck arrived at the first-floor lobby of Daegu Samsung Lions Park. The sender is a devoted fan of Hurado.
The coffee truck featured various support messages, such as "For noodles, it's pickled radish; for the mound, it's Hurado—fan support matters," "Like a 5-star Chinese meal from Samsung, let's hope for quality from Hurado on the mound!", and "We will dedicate 100% for Hurado!"
On this day, Samsung's starting lineup consisted of shortstop Lee Jae-hyun, center fielder Kim Sung-yoon, left fielder Koo Ja-wook, catcher Kang Min-ho, first baseman Lewin Diaz, right fielder Lee Sung-kyu, designated hitter Park Byung-ho, second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, and third baseman Jeon Byeong-woo. To strengthen the pitching staff, Hwang Dong-jae, a first-round draft choice, was called up to the first team.
Manager Park Jin-man said ahead of the game, "The most important thing in a doubleheader is managing the bullpen. How we operate the bullpen will be crucial."
He continued, "I was scheduled to start in the Futures game today but was called up urgently," adding, "We needed a pitcher who could throw strong pitches as Lee Ho-seong takes over as the closer. He will take on the long-man role."
Since Hurado, the league's top innings eater, is taking the mound as a starter, it seems likely that pitcher consumption will be minimized. Manager Park Jin-man also showed a relaxed demeanor, saying, "Hurado's inning consumption is the most important. Just do what you have been doing." The starting pitcher for Game 2 will be Denny Reyes.
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