The ace cultivated by the KBO League has marked a new pinnacle in the myth of reverse export from the KBO League. Eric Fedde (St. Louis Cardinals) completely overpowered the team that released him before entering the KBO League.
On the 10th (Korean time), Fedde started against the Washington Nationals in the '2025 Major League' game held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., pitching 9 innings, 109 pitches, allowing 6 hits, striking out 8, and leading the team to a 10-0 victory. Fedde recorded his first complete game and shutout in his Major League career.
On that day, Fedde dominated the Washington lineup with 46 sinkers at a maximum speed of 95.2 miles (153.2 km) and an average speed of 93.4 miles (150.3 km), along with 26 sliders, 23 cutters, and 14 changeups.
His control was somewhat shaky. In the first inning, he allowed a double to right field to lead-off batter C.J. Abrams. However, he handled James Wood with a ground ball to second base and Nathanael Lowe with a fly ball to left field. He then got Keibert Ruiz out with a ground ball to first base, ending the inning without allowing a run.
In the second inning, he found stability by getting Luis Garcia Jr. out with a ground ball to shortstop, Amed Rosario with a looking Samjin, and Josh Bell with a ground ball to first base. After handling lead-off batter Jacob Yong with a fly ball to center field in the third inning, he got Dylan Cruz out with a ground ball to shortstop. He allowed a infield single to C.J. Abrams, but returned James Wood with a looking Samjin.
In the fourth inning, he struck out Nathanael Lowe with a swinging Samjin, got Keibert Ruiz out with a ground ball to shortstop, and Luis Garcia Jr. with a line drive to second base. In the fifth inning, he allowed a single to Amed Rosario, the lead-off batter. However, he managed to finish the inning by getting Josh Bell out with a fly ball to left field and striking out Jacob Yong and Dylan Cruz in succession.
In the sixth inning, he again allowed a single to left field to lead-off batter C.J. Abrams. He got James Wood out with a line drive to left field and struck out Nathanael Lowe with a double play from third base to wrap up the inning.
In the seventh inning, he allowed a single to left field to lead-off batter Keibert Ruiz. However, he got Luis Garcia Jr. out with a fly ball to center field and quickly struck out Amed Rosario and Josh Bell.
As he neared a shutout, in the eighth inning, he got lead-off batter Jacob Yong out with a ground ball to third, thanks to a stunning defensive play by Arenado. He then handled Dylan Cruz with a ground ball to shortstop and struck out C.J. Abrams. By the end of the eighth inning, he had already thrown 92 pitches. After a 7-pitch showdown with lead-off batter James Wood, he allowed a single to right field. However, he managed to get Nathanael Lowe with a double play from second base, surpassing the crucial moment of the shutout, and finished the shutout by getting Keibert Ruiz out with a fly ball to shortstop.
Fedde, who was drafted in the first round by the Washington Nationals in the 2014 rookie draft, made his Major League debut in 2017 and played until 2022 with Washington. However, he did not leave a significant mark compared to expectations, recording 21 wins, 33 losses, and a 5.41 ERA over 102 games (88 starts) with the Nationals before receiving a non-tender release notice.
Afterward, Fedde's life changed completely. He challenged the overseas stage with the KBO League's NC Dinos. Fedde dominated the league. In 2023, he recorded 20 wins, 6 losses, an ERA of 2.00, and 209 strikeouts, achieving a Triple Crown. He was awarded the Choi Dong-won Award, given to the best pitcher in Korea, and also claimed the KBO League MVP and Golden Glove.
Gaining attention from Major League Baseball again, Fedde successfully made a u-turn by signing a 2-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. He completed his return to the Major League in his first season, which resulted in a trade to St. Louis, finishing with a record of 31 games, 9 wins, 9 losses, and an ERA of 3.35 with 154 strikeouts.
He showed how much he had changed against his former team. In a post-game interview with local media, Fedde said, “It was around the seventh inning. The pitch count was really low and the flow was good. At that moment, I thought, 'I want to complete this game.' But I tried to stay focused and concentrated on one batter at a time, one pitch at a time. If I thought ahead, anything could happen.”
Reflecting on his feelings about visiting the home stadium of his former team again, he said, “It was different walking into the visiting clubhouse for the first time and heading to warm up in left field from the bullpen. But it felt familiar. Right now, St. Louis is staying at the Pentagon Suites, which is where I lived when I was with Washington.”
Fedde was secretly pleased to show the altered version of himself to his former team after being released and returning from the KBO League. He stated, “When the schedule was released, I was really excited knowing I would pitch in Washington. Washington gave me many opportunities and made me a Major Leaguer. I am very grateful for that. I have no ill feelings toward them,” he added, “but I don’t want to say they gave up on me. However, showing them ‘I’ve gotten better’ by letting me go is always significant.” He eagerly anticipated pitching in front of the team that released him and repaid them with his best performance.
[OSEN]