SSG Dugger, who has found a clue to the rebound, challenges for his first win since his debut in the KBO League: ZUM News

[부산=뉴시스] Reporter Kim Hee-jun = SSG Landers foreign pitcher Robert Dugger (29), who has laid the foundation for a rebound after continuing a severe slump, will challenge for his first win since his debut in the KBO League.

Dugger will start the game against the Lotte Giants in the 2024 Shinhan Solbank KBO League held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 24th.

This is Dugger’s sixth appearance in the regular season, as he made his first appearance on the KBO League stage this year.

In his previous five appearances, Dugger failed to secure a victory. He showed extreme slump and suffered only 3 losses. His season ERA is 11.25.

Although he does not have much experience in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), Dugger, who ranked first in ERA (4.31) and strikeouts (143) in the U.S. minor league Triple-A Pacific League last year, raised great expectations by pitching well in spring camp. Upon returning from spring camp, SSG coach Lee Soong-yong said, “Dugger has adapted well to the team. I would like to give him 100 out of 100 for both skill and personality,” and added, “As long as he is not sick, he will be able to win more than 10 games.” did.

But Dugger did not live up to expectations. He allowed 6 runs (4 earned runs) while pitching 6⅓ innings in two exhibition games, shaking with an average ERA of 5.68, and continued to be unstable even after the opening of the regular season.

In the game against the Daegu Samsung Lions on March 31, he had a quality start (starting pitcher allowed 3 earned runs in 6 innings or more), but was unable to avoid poor performance in the next 2 games.

Dugger allowed a whopping 14 runs (13 earned runs) while giving up 12 hits, 4 walks, and 3 hit balls in 3 innings against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 6th of this month. It was a tie for the most goals allowed in a game in KBO League history. Dugger himself even called it “the worst pitch of my career.”

The same was true in the Suwon KT Wiz match on the 12th. In one inning, he gave up four hits and two walks, allowed four runs, and was forced out early.

Coach Lee also said, “Dugger controls the corner to throw a perfect ball into the strike zone. As a result, he gets more balls.” He added, “Because his mentality is shaken, he doesn’t make the good balls he saw in the spring training in the U.S. If the situation continues to be difficult, the manager will make a choice. “We have to do this,” he said.

Dugger, who was extremely confident, pitched well in the Incheon KIA Tigers game on the 18th of this month. He pitched well in 5 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 home run), 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 run.

SSG won the game 7-5, but the victory was not Dugger’s. Dugger was replaced with a 5-1 lead, but the bullpen was shaken and allowed the score to be tied, losing the win.

Although he was unable to report his first victory, it was a meaningful game for Dugger in that he regained stability.

After the KIA game on the 18th, Dugger said, “I was mentally exhausted after the NC game on the 6th. But baseball is a sport of failure, and I tried to overcome it. After the KIA game, I improved a lot mentally.” .

SSG is currently on a two-game losing streak. They faltered in three consecutive games against LG, with only one draw and two losses. Only if Dugger succeeds in rebounding will SSG be able to break its losing streak.

☞ Sympathetic media Newsis [email protected]

▶ Subscribe to Newsis on Naver
▶ K-Artprice reveals prices of famous works of art