If you get to know him, he is a pitcher who chases Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays). However, his speed is very slow.
Kenta Maeda (35, Minnesota Twins) started the season with 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks and 2 runs in 5 innings in an away game against the 2023 Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves held at True Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on the 29th (Korean time). 5 losses (1 win). 82 pitches.
After taking a break for two months due to a triceps injury in his right arm after the game against the New York Yankees on April 27, Maeda made a comeback against the Detroit Tigers on the 24th and even won the winning pitcher. At that time, he won 5 innings, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks and no runs, and won a thrilling victory 1 year and 10 months after the Tampa Bay race on August 15, 2021.
The entire 2022 season was canceled due to Tommy John surgery, and this season is the last year of the 8-year, up to $25 million (approximately 32.9 billion won) contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, aka ‘slave contract’. Coincidentally, it was of great significance to Maeda that he had won 60 personal wins in about two years in the return match.
Maeda surpassed Chen Wein at the time and ranked ninth with the most wins in Asian major league history. There is a 15-win gap with Ryu Hyun-jin, who has 75 wins. As Ryu Hyun-jin returns from Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation in the second half, it is a great opportunity for Maeda to narrow the gap with Ryu Hyun-jin.
After all, baseball doesn’t work out the way you want it to. Maeda also left the mound after digesting 82 pitches in 5 innings that day. Apparently, it was the second game after his return, so it seems that he was managed by the bench. Actually, his pitching wasn’t bad. However, he became the losing pitcher when he received not a single point of support from the Minnesota lineup. Maeda’s pursuit of Ryu Hyun-jin seems to be progressing slowly.
In the end, Maeda was defeated by National League MVP No. 1 Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta). In the bottom of the first inning, against Acuna, who took the leadoff, the slider continued to go far out of the strike zone and allowed a walk. Ozzie Albis gave up second base at the plate and even committed a wild throw. The 91 mph high fastball he used on Matt Olsen went in smoothly and hit the first RBI with a mid-month double.
Maeda passed the 2nd inning with a tripartite offense, but in the 3rd inning, he got a heavy hit even though he dropped the splitter low on first baseman Akuna. In the end, he gave Albis a sacrifice fly to center field. He also gave up a walk in the fifth inning to second baseman Akuna, who was also unharmed. At least, he used a splitter on Albis to induce a grounder from second baseman and finished the inning without conceding. There wasn’t a lot of restraint, and Akuna’s hitting feeling was so good, so there was a tough side.아톰카지노
Maeda’s competitiveness this season is expected to be clearly confirmed after more observation. If he can throw 6 or 7 innings reliably, he can be satisfied with Minnesota. Maeda is also very important to play the rest of the season at the point of free agency. It is the time when it is decided whether he can remain in the major leagues until his late 30s.