The foreign pitcher of the SoftBank Hawks in Nippon Professional Baseball, Livan Moinelo, has showcased powerful pitching for two consecutive games.
Moinelo started on the 13th in a game against the Yokohama DeNA BASS at the Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, recording a victory with 9 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), and striking out 13 batters.
Having held the Yokohama batting lineup with perfect pitching until the 3rd inning, Moinelo allowed a hit to Keita Sano with two outs in the top of the 4th. However, he struck out Shugo Maki for a swinging strikeout to end the inning without any significant danger. He again maintained perfect pitching in the 5th and 6th innings.
Moinelo allowed a solo home run to Sano in the 7th inning with one out while SoftBank was leading 4-1. Following that, he faced a crisis with one out and a runner on second after allowing a double to Maki, but he dealt with Toshiro Miyazaki and Shion Matsuo, both grounding out without allowing any additional runs. In the 8th and 9th innings, he showcased perfect pitching again, not allowing a single runner to reach base, achieving a complete game victory. This is the third complete game win of his career.
Moinelo, who has been active with SoftBank since 2017, is in his 9th season this year as a long-serving foreign pitcher. He has recorded 36 wins, 14 losses, 135 holds, and 40 saves over his career in Nippon Professional Baseball, appearing in 342 games (541⅔ innings) with an earned run average of 1.83. Last year, he participated as part of the Cuban national team in the Premier12, competing against the Korean national team.
Having performed as the league's best relief pitcher until 2023, Moinelo successfully transitioned to a starting pitcher last season and is now excelling as the ace. This season, he has also achieved favorable results with 6 wins and an earned run average of 1.26 over 11 games (78⅓ innings).
The Japanese media outlet Nikkan Sports reported, "Moinelo put on another strikeout show. In the game against Yakult on the 6th, he set a franchise record with 18 strikeouts in a single game, showcasing overwhelming pitching. Today, he caught 13 strikeouts against the Yokohama batting lineup, which he faced in last year’s Japan Series and lost to."
Moinelo delivered a stellar performance on the 6th against Yakult with 8 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, striking out 18 batters without allowing a run. Although the bullpen squandered the win, it was a top pitching performance that broke several records, including the franchise record for most strikeouts in a single game and the most strikeouts for a foreign pitcher in a single game. In this game, he also recorded double-digit strikeouts for the second consecutive game, reaching a remarkable total of 31 strikeouts over two games.
"Last year was my first year as a starting pitcher, so I lacked experience," Moinelo said, noting, "In contrast, this year, I've built experience, and it seems to lead to good results like strikeouts." He added, "My primary goal is to contribute to the team's victory in any situation. That hasn't changed."
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