119 pitches in 9 innings. These are the number of innings and pitches David Buchanan, the “ace” of the Samsung Lions, recorded in the last game of the first half. Victory was more desperate than anyone else.
Buchanan started as a starting pitcher in an away game against the KIA Tigers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 13th, recording 9 innings, 4 hits, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts and 1 run, leading the team to a 4-1 victory. . From the bottom of the 1st to the bottom of the 9th, he single-handedly caught 27 out counts.
Buchanan continued cruising in the scoring support of the other line. At the beginning of the 3rd inning, the other line took the lead with catcher Kim Tae-gun’s fastball (foil) from 2nd, 1st and 3rd base, and then added 2 more points with Kim Jae-sung’s two-run gun in the 4th inning. Although it was not a mass score, it was a score that could give strength to the starting pitcher.
Buchanan, who allowed an infield hit to Socrates Brito at the end of the second inning with one out, completely blocked the KIA lineup by continuing a streak of 15 consecutive batters토토사이트. In the bottom of the 7th inning, with one out, he was allowed to go on base for the first time in a while, but it was not a hit or a walk, but an error. When Na Seong-beom’s shortstop grounder, Lee Jae-hyeon made a mistake in throwing.
However, Buchanan calmly continued pitching and ended the inning by turning Choi Hyeong-woo and Socrates to a fly ball and a ground ball, respectively. Buchanan, who struck out two at the bottom of the 8th inning and treated three batters as a tripartite, took the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning and started to challenge for a complete shutout. After his KBO League debut, Buchanan’s shutout was once each in 2021 and last year.
Buchanan seemed to be getting closer to a complete shutout by catching lead batter Ko Jong-wook with a grounder, but he was put in danger as Choi Won-joon’s hit and Kim Do-young’s double hit consecutive hits. In the end, when the follow-up hitter Na Seong-beom grounded the first baseman, first base runner Choi Won-joon stepped on the home, and it was the moment when Buchanan’s first run went up.
Even though the shutout challenge was canceled, Buchanan focused on the 27th outcount. In the 2nd and 3rd base, Choi Hyung-woo was caught with a 2nd baseman ground ball after a 5-pitch game, ending the 3-hour close match. It was the moment when Buchanan’s fourth complete game in his personal career, which had been playing in the KBO League since 2020, was completed. Bullpen pitchers who could get enough rest during the All-Star break could have taken over the mound, but Buchanan stayed on the mound until the end.
Including the game that day, Buchanan appeared in 17 games in the first half, recording an average ERA of 2.88 with 7 wins and 6 losses in 109⅓ innings. He has been consistently active enough to achieve Quality Start (QS) 11 times, and in terms of the most innings, it is a figure that is second only to Ariel Furado (Kiwoom Heroes, 111⅔ innings) in the entire league.
Buchanan, who achieved more than 15 wins in more than 170 innings for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021, was reborn as an ace representing Samsung, and last year also showed an ace-like appearance with 160 innings, 11 wins, 8 losses, and an average ERA of 3.04. There was also an evaluation that the power had fallen a little compared to the previous two seasons, but Buchanan erased the question mark by winning 7 wins in the first half of this season alone.
In particular, Samsung went through big and small trials throughout the first half, and in the meantime, the team’s ranking fell to the bottom. When home games are held, many spectators visit Daegu Samsung Lions Park, the home stadium, but the team ended the first half with a poor record of 31-49 (0.388).
It is true that it is not easy to escape from the bottom place as well as jump to the middle ranks as the ride between Samsung and Kiwoom Heroes in 9th place goes up to 5 games. Samsung still has 64 games left. It is not a step to give up. In the second half, the results should be shown. We must not forget Buchanan’s earnestness, who wanted to end the game on his own.