LG Twins foreign pitcher Enes is undergoing a new transformation during the season. He decided to abandon his ambitious changeup. It’s a big decision for a professional athlete.
Enes was an ambitious signing before the season by LG, a team looking to build a dynasty. He was expected to be the No. 1 starter, and indeed he was, pitching in the opening game against the Hanwha Eagles.
He started off well, pitching six innings of 11-strikeout, no-hit ball against the Kiwoom Heroes in the opening game. However, he struggled against the NC Dinos on April 4, giving up seven runs in four innings. The next two games against the KIA Tigers and Lotte Giants were fine, but the last two games against SSG Landers and KIA were not so good. In particular, the SSG game resulted in eight runs in five innings.
Basically, his pitching is good. And it was my debut season in the KBO, so it was unfamiliar. However, it can be interpreted as a case of the opposing team gradually adapting, 안전놀이터 analyzing the power and not being able to dominate.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yup had no choice but to take urgent action.
He met with Enns after the KIA game on the 27th. He decided to ditch his changeup and hone his forkball and splitter. Why did he come to this conclusion?
The truth is, I was nervous. He wasn’t originally a changeup pitcher, but after signing with LG, he received an order from manager Yeom. He concluded that the reason why Enns failed in Japan, even though he had a good pitch, was because he didn’t have a good changeup. So, he ordered him to work on his changeup before joining spring training.
As is often the case with self-respecting foreign players, Ens dutifully did so, and while not perfect in camp, he delivered a changeup that was better than expected, much to Yoon’s delight.
But practice and games are a world apart. After the opening day, the changeup was exposed as a problem. Because it’s an unfamiliar pitch, it didn’t come together properly under pressure. For example, the changeup is all about slowing down, but before you know it, your arm swing is as fast as a fastball, and you end up with an elusive ball that doesn’t fall and doesn’t slow down.
It was a 140-kilometer fastball that was really easy to hit.
The level of hitters in the KBO has risen tremendously, and it’s impossible to survive without a falling ball. “It’s easier to deal with hitters because there’s only one path,” says Yeom. So you have to throw more pitches. One hitter usually makes three foul balls. That’s why you need to throw more than 100 pitches in just five innings,” he explained.
That’s where the forkball and splitter came in. “Forkballs and splitters have the same throwing pattern as fastballs. It’s just the grip that’s different. 온라인카지노사이트 So I think it will be a little easier for him to throw it,” he said.
Of course, this new challenge doesn’t come with a 100% guarantee of success. Enns has never thrown a forkball in his professional career. “Right now, the only off-speed pitches he can add to his arsenal are splitters,” Dye emphasized.