On the 23rd, the Samsung Lions held a blue-and-white match at Akama Stadium in Ona-son, Okinawa, Japan. David Buchanan (34), who took the mound as the starting pitcher for the blue team that day, recorded 2 innings, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts and no runs. The highest speed of the fastball was recorded at 145 km.
At the beginning of the game, Buchanan had a difficult time hunting. However, with coach Kwon Oh-joon’s advice, he overcame it. He tried to throw a breaking ball with the same mindset as when throwing a fastball, and for two innings, he blocked the back team’s lineup without a run.
After the game, Buchanan said, “In today’s game, I pitched mainly on the curve. In the first inning, my breaking ball was shaken. During the inning shift, coach Oh-Jun Kwon advised me to throw it comfortably like throwing a fastball. I threw it comfortably like throwing a fast ball. Overall, I think I pitched well,” he said, expressing satisfaction.
It is Puchanan who has been wearing a blue uniform for 4 years now. Until now, no foreign player has been with Samsung for such a long time. The foreign player who stayed with Samsung for the longest time was hitter Darin Ruff. He served as the Lions’ center hitter from 2017 to 2019.
The reason we spent so much time together was because we achieved good results. Buchanan, who entered the KBO league for the first time in 2020, recorded an average ERA of 3.45 with 15 wins and 7 losses in 27 games. The following year, Buchanan, who recorded an average ERA of 3.10 with 16 wins and 5 losses in 30 games, led Samsung to advance to the postseason for the first time in six years. In 2022, his third season, Buchanan went 11-8 with an earned run average of 3.04.
Buchanan broke the Samsung foreign pitcher record. He recorded the most wins by a foreign pitcher in the club with 16 wins in 2021. From 2020 to 2022, he also became the first foreign pitcher to record double-digit wins for three consecutive years. He rewrote the history of the club.
Meanwhile, Albert Suarez, who had a one-two punch with Buchanan, also pitched as the starting pitcher for the back team on the same day, recording one hit and four strikeouts in two innings. He checked various breaking balls, including fastballs, curveballs, changeups, and cutters. His highest speed was 149 km.
Suarez smiled, saying, “I pitched mainly with breaking pitches. I liked the contents of the first live pitching pitch. If I refine it a little more, I think I can show a good figure in the season.” 온라인바카라