‘April ERA 6.98′ There is a limit to Samsung fans’ patience… Will Samsung’s No. 1 starter in crisis bounce back against Kiwoom?

Can Samsung’s first selection, which is in crisis, succeed in turning the situation around?

The Samsung Lions, led by coach Jin-man Park, will play against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 27th.

The day before, native ace Won Tae-in delivered a perfect pitch with 8 strikeouts and no runs in 7 innings, bringing victory. They are cruising with 14 wins and 4 losses in the last 18 games. The ranking has already risen to a tie for 3rd place. They are escaping from an eight-game losing streak at the beginning of the season.

I have one concern. The poor performance of Connor Siebold, who was brought in after being selected as the number one starter. Connor was brought in by Samsung for a total of $1 million, including $100,000 in down payment, $800,000 in annual salary, and $100,000 in incentives.

Samsung said, “Siebold uses a powerful fastball with an average fastball speed of 150 km/h, as well as high-quality breaking balls such as change-ups and sliders. “With excellent use of the left and right sides of the strike zone, we expect him to play a part in the Samsung Lions’ starting lineup in the 2024 season based on his strong position and stable control.”

However, it still does not meet expectations. His KBO League debut match against Suwon KT Wiz was good. He pitched well in 6 innings with 4 hits (1 home run), 8 strikeouts, and 2 runs (1 earned run), raising expectations for the future.

But it has been shaking ever since. On March 29, against Daegu SSG, 5 innings, 9 hits (3 home runs), 5 o’clock, on April 4, against Daegu Kiwoom Heroes, 7 hits (1 home run), 5 runs, in 5.2 innings, on April 10, against Busan Lotte, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts, in 3 innings, 5.2 innings. He allowed 4 runs and played the fewest innings in a game since his KBO League debut.

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On April 16, against the Daegu Doosan Bears, he achieved his first win in 5.1 innings with 4 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 3 runs in 5.1 innings against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles, but left another disappointment with 4 hits, 5 walks, and 3 runs in 5.1 innings against Daejeon Hanwha Eagles on April 21. .

6 games, 1 win, 2 losses, ERA 6.23. His hitting percentage is 0.285, and his on-base percentage allowed per inning is 1.52. Above all, there are many home runs. He allowed home runs in all of his games except for the previous match against Hanwha. 7.

Above all, on the day Connor started, SSG replaced Dugger. KBO League’s first expulsion. Dugger appeared in 6 games and had 3 losses and an ERA of 12.71, his worst performance. In the game against Changwon NC Dinos on April 6, he had a nightmare game of 12 hits, 7 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 14 runs in 3 innings. The 14 goals allowed are tied for the most goals conceded by an individual in a single game in KBO League history. In the final game of the KBO League against the Busan Lotte Giants, he left a mark by allowing 7 runs while allowing 9 hits and 2 strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

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Of course, it hasn’t collapsed as much as Dugger yet. However, if things look the way they are now, Samsung has no choice but to worry.

Can Connor rebound?

Lee Jeong-won, MK Sports reporter