“It’s so much fun to play baseball in a resignation ballpark.”
“Resignation Jesus” smiles again. His early-season struggles are now a distant memory.
Wilkerson pitched 7⅔ innings of three-run ball in the second game of a doubleheader against the SSG Landers at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Sept. 9 to earn his sixth win of the season. He struck out seven. Behind Wilkerson’s strong outing, Lotte won 5-3.
It was Wilkerson’s 10th quality start of the year (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or less). Lotte’s starting lineup and bullpen are shaky. His age of 35 is not an obstacle. Contrary to the preconceived notion that he is a fastball pitcher, he has a good fastball. With 72 strikeouts, he ranks eighth overall.
“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do,” Wilkerson laughed when asked after the game about being labeled the team’s “rock,” adding, “I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do. “Our pitchers are struggling a little bit right now, but we’ll see. They’re all too good,” he emphasized.
In the last game, he threw his first complete game in the KBO for 724 days. Again, the pitch count was very low until the middle of the game. Did he think about trying to complete two games in a row? “My goal was to go seven innings,” Wilkerson said. “Luckily, they came out aggressive and I was able to pitch the eighth inning. I thought, ‘Let’s go one or two more batters. I got two outs, so I think I did a good job,” he laughed.
The early-season struggles that once led to talk of his exit have been forgotten. “It took me a little while to get my routine together,” Wilkerson said. But now I have the routine down perfectly. I’m going to 안전놀이터 be steady, hard, and good,” Wilkerson emphasized.
After the game, head coach Kim Tae-hyung was also pleased with Wilkerson’s performance. “He pitched 7⅔ innings today after his complete game shutout in the last game,” Kim said, reiterating his praise for Wilkerson. “It was a doubleheader, so it must have been really hard for him, but I’m grateful that he didn’t lose his focus until the end. I want to encourage them,” he said.
The resignation sold out all 22,758 seats. The fans in attendance not only cheered him on, but also gave him a thunderous ovation as he walked off the mound. It’s a force that exhilarates 카지노사이트 추천 and rejuvenates Wilkerson. “I want to thank the fans for filling the stadium with their light blue jerseys and showing their support,” he said.
“It’s sold out again today. The Busan fans always come in such large numbers and give me such wonderful support. It’s so much fun and I’m happy to play baseball with this kind of support. It feels really good.”
