'March-April ERA 1.47 → May ERA 1.84 → June ERA 4.40' What happened to KIA Nail?
'March-April ERA 1.47 → May ERA 1.84 → June ERA 4.40' What happened to KIA Nail?
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"In my opinion, it is more appropriate to see that the opposing batters have adapted better than to lower ball power."
KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said this about foreign pitcher James Nail, whose rise has recently been dampened.
Nail wore a Kia uniform for a total of 950,000 U.S. dollars, including a down payment of 200,000 dollars, an annual salary of 350,000 dollars, an option of 150,000 dollars and a transfer fee of 250,000 dollars. Nail has a low rate of allowing walks due to her outstanding ball control. She was caught on a speed gun up to 153 kilometers in maximum speed, and is said to have excellent power of curves and sinkers.
Nail, who took over as an ace, took the mound in six games between March and April, with four wins and no losses with a 1.47 ERA, showing off the prowess of a foreign ace.
Having taken the mound five times in May and continued its upward trajectory with two wins and one loss with a 1.84 ERA, Nail appeared to be struggling a bit in June. She only had one win and one loss with a 4.40 ERA in five games. She had the disgrace of losing the most points in an individual game by giving up nine points against Lotte on May 25.
As the starting pitcher for the match against Samsung in Daegu on Sunday, Nail had four hits (one homer) and three walks, seven strikeouts and four runs (three earned runs) in five innings. With this result, Nail finished the first half of 17 games with seven wins, two losses and an earned run average of 2.66.
"In my opinion, it is more appropriate to see that the opposing batters have adapted better than to lower ball power," head coach Lee Bum-ho said of the nail. He also added, "Since we finished our last appearance in the first half of the year, we need to check how the nails look different from when they are good and how they look now with the power analysis part."
Manager Lee Bum-ho, who has 329 homers in his career as an active player, said, "Since batters have faced nails once or twice, we have understood some of the tendencies of nails such as ball combination. There is no problem with the ball itself, so it will be better if we change the pitching design."
Adapting to the ABS zone is another factor that needs to be supplemented. "When a nail goes well, it is judged as a ball, not a strike, in the ABS zone," said Lee Bum-ho.
"Nail is the best starting agent in our team. It doesn't hurt, so if you pay attention to this part, you will get much better in the second half," he said.
Meanwhile, "the oldest" Choi Hyung-woo (outfielder) has played 76 games this season and is showing off his strong performance with a batting average of 283 (83 hits in 293) with 15 home runs, 71 RBIs and 48 points.
"I don't think there will be any adjustment in batting order. If you need physical fitness, you can remove him from the starting lineup once in a while," coach Lee Bum-ho said of Choi Hyung-woo. "I played a lot of at-bats and played as a designated hitter (less burden on defense), but I think I have some physical difficulties because I played a lot of games 메이저사이트," he added.
Lee Bum-ho has strong trust in Choi. "I always hit him when it's important. Changing the batting order does more harm than good. Choi's concentration increases significantly when there is a runner on the floor. If he manages his physical strength, he can achieve a good result. He also takes good care of his juniors," he said.