A confrontation between a veteran who is aiming for a revival in the major leagues and a Japanese big leaguer who has just entered the competition has been concluded.
Kenta Maeda (35, Minnesota Twins) started the 2023 Major League Baseball away game against the Boston Red Sox held at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on the 21st (Korean time), USA, 2 innings, 1 hit (1 home run), 1 walk lost
In the bottom of the second inning with Boston leading 1-0, something terrible happened with two out on second base. Maeda hit Jaron Duran with an 84 mph splitter on ball count 1B1S. Duran’s ball hit Maeda’s left ankle and landed on the mound. Maeda quickly caught the ball and threw it to first base, ending the inning.
However, Maeda was unable to return to the dugout normally. because it hurt so much According to MLB.com, Duran’s batted ball was 111.6 miles (about 180 km). “I was afraid to see him lying on his ground,” said Minnesota coach Rocco Baldelli.
Fortunately, Maeda was found to have a simple bruise, not a fracture. MLB.com said, “After the game, Maeda laughed and joked. It’s hard to say that just two hours ago he struggled on the ground in pain.” “There was excruciating pain,” said Maeda.
Maeda missed the 2022 season with Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation. After achieving his 59th personal win in a home game against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 15, 2021, he has been unable to reach his 60th career win for a year and eight months. Due to this injury, the schedule for the next start is uncertain. The final season of an eight-year, $25 million contract he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a reserve free agent, his performance this season is very important. 안전놀이터
But baseball continues and someone laughs. Masataka Yoshida (30, Boston Red Sox), who faced Maeda that day, might have secretly smiled. He started as the designated hitter 4 times and went 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and 1 run. His season batting average was 0.189.
Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Boston in the 2022-2023 offseason and began his major league challenge. As he won the WBC RBI and led Japan to the championship, the stock price soared. However, the major leagues are not easy. He had a difficult April due to a severe slump and a hamstring injury.
Yoshida’s multi-hit is the first time in two weeks since the match against the Detroit Tigers on the 7th. He is still in the 10% batting average, but he is close to escaping the 10th range by raising 2 pennies and 2 li from 0.167. At the end of the first inning, with two runners leading 1-0, Maeda had his first confrontation with fate. He retired with a fly ball to right field to a 6-pitch splitter in 2B2S.
However, in the 3rd inning, he hit a 96-mile high fastball against Emilino Pagan with 2 out and 2nd base, leading to a heavy hit with 1 RBI. He retired with a grounder to second base in the 4th inning and a fly ball to right field in the 6th, but in the 8th inning, he hit the four-seam in the middle of 2nd out and 3rd baser Joe Barney Moran’s 92 mph, and produced a timely hit with 1 RBI. It was the worst day for Maeda, but for Yoshida, who urgently needs to adapt to the major leagues, it was a day that he played like a 4th hitter.