Last year, the LA Angels, which fell to the status of a major league weakling after failing to reach the postseason for 10 consecutive years, surprised everyone by winning six straight games. Sean Anderson (31), a pitcher from the KBO League KIA Tigers, is making a significant contribution from the bullpen and is gaining momentum to establish a foothold in the major leagues.
The Angels won 10-5 against the Athletics in a home game on the 22nd (Korean time), thanks to 14 hits, including 4 home runs, at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California.
Following a three-game sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers from the 17th to the 19th, the Angels secured three wins in a four-game series against the Athletics, achieving a season-high six-game winning streak. Their season record improved to 23 wins and 25 losses (winning percentage .479), coming close to .500 and successfully moving up to fourth place in the American League (AL) West, avoiding being last. Originally seen as a serious candidate for last place this season, they are showing signs of a turnaround.
With young players like catcher Logan Ohapi and shortstop Zach Neto leading the batting lineup, the pitching staff is also holding up. In the game on the 22nd, right-handed reliever Anderson, who took the mound as the third pitcher, served as a springboard for the sixth straight win. Anderson entered the game in the fifth inning with two outs and runners on first and third, and he got Shear Langelier to fly out to center field, extinguishing the urgent threat.
In the sixth inning, he allowed a ground ball single to Tyler Soderstrom but after getting Brent Rooker to pop out to the infield, he induced Miguel Andújar to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
In the seventh inning, after giving up a solo home run to Nick Kurtz, he allowed Luis Urias to hit an infield single and walked Seth Brown, creating a crisis with no outs and runners on first and second before being relieved. Next pitcher Héctor Neris retired all three batters, allowing Anderson to finish with 1⅓ innings, 3 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, and 1 earned run, earning his first hold of the season.
Anderson signed a minor league contract with the Angels in February and was called up to the major leagues on the 10th. After the bullpen collapsed, the Angels utilized Anderson, who had pitched 7 games as a starter for Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, as a long reliever. He started on the 10th against the Baltimore Orioles, pitching 1⅓ innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, and followed that with a strong performance on the 12th against Baltimore, pitching 3⅓ innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts without allowing any earned runs.
In the game against the Dodgers on the 19th, he came in relief in the seventh inning with one out and runners on first and second and gave up a three-run home run to Will Smith, resulting in a blown save. However, he managed to stop the scoring and secured the win with 2⅔ innings, allowing 1 hit (1 home run), 3 strikeouts, and 1 earned run by the ninth inning. It was his first win in six years since his rookie year with the San Francisco Giants in 2019.
By the 22nd, prior to the game against the Athletics, Anderson had made 4 appearances (8⅔ innings), achieving 1 win, an earned run average of 3.12, and 9 strikeouts this season. While it’s not astonishing performance, he is contributing to the Angels' rising momentum by handling multiple innings from the bullpen. The Angels improved to 8 wins and 4 losses after calling up Anderson.
Anderson also played in Korea in 2023. KIA brought him in, filling the maximum limit of $1 million for new foreign players, expecting him to be an ace, and he performed as a number one starter with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses and an earned run average of 2.58 in the first six games in April. However, he showed inconsistencies starting in May. With a simple two-pitch repertoire based on fastballs and sliders, his innings pitch efficiency decreased, leading to a stint in the minors at the end of May for adjustments. After returning to the first team, he rebounded with 1 win and 2 losses and an earned run average of 2.96 in 4 appearances, but KIA made the bold decision to release Anderson, signing left-handed pitcher Thomas Pannone instead.
Anderson's performance was 4 wins and 7 losses with an earned run average of 3.76 over 14 games (79 innings) and 64 strikeouts. While not exceptional, it wasn't bad enough to warrant being released during the season. After leaving Korea with some regrets, he signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies but ended the 2023 season without receiving a call-up to the major leagues.
He began the 2024 season in the Mexican League and after signing a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers in mid-April, he was called up mid-May. At that time, KBO League teams also viewed Anderson as a candidate for a replacement player, but this became irrelevant due to his big league call-up. After pitching in 2 games for Texas, he was designated for assignment (DFA) and traded to the Miami Marlins for cash. He also pitched only 4 games in Miami, finishing the last year with a total of 6 games (2 starts, 16⅓ innings) and 2 losses, with an earned run average of 8.27.
After becoming a free agent at the end of the season, Anderson signed a minor league contract with the Angels and is seizing this opportunity, aiming for a return to the big leagues. He has increased his average fastball velocity to 92 miles per hour (148.1 km/h) and has widened his usage of change-ups compared to when he was in Korea, showing a more diversified pitching repertoire and competitiveness.
[OSEN]