Venezuelan right-hander Ricardo Pinto (30), who had the most losses in the KBO League in 2020, made his first save since his Major League debut. He was a rare foreign pitcher in Korea, but returned to the Major League after passing through Taiwan and Mexico, writing a dramatic twist.
Pinto was called up to the big leagues ahead of the home game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 3rd (Korea time). Philadelphia called out Pinto, who was at Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, when it transferred right-hander Connor Brockdon (DFA).
Lehigh Valley also has right-hander David Buchanan, who played for the Samsung Lions for four years between 2020 and 2023. Buchanan, who did not make the opening roster after signing a minor contract with Philadelphia, lost his first appearance in Triple-A on the 1st, collapsing with six hits (one home run) in four innings, four walks, two strikeouts and five runs. Although he has not played in Triple-A yet, Pinto, who has won four games (five ⅔ innings) with a 3.18 ERA, received a call-up.
With his team leading 2-1 from the first day of the call-up, Pinto took the mound as the second pitcher in the sixth inning. Pinto started the game with three strikeouts including two, and was in charge until the end of the ninth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup widened the score with one run in the sixth inning and five runs in the seventh inning. Pinto allowed five hits, four strikeouts and three runs (two earned) in four innings to help Philadelphia win the game 9-4, and posted a save in his return game for the first time in five years. This was his first save as an individual in the Major League.
He pitched a total of 73 pitches, including sinkers (37) and splitters (25), and threw sweeper (8), slider (2), and four-seam fastball (1). He pitched a maximum speed of 92.9 miles (149.5 kilometers). He induced seven groundouts by banking on his main weapon sinker, and struck out three by using his splitter as a decisive ball.
According to local media including MLB.com , Pinto began his day in Rochester, New York. He went to an away game in New York according to Triple-A, and after receiving a call-up, he spent five and a half hours in a car. When there was no proper flight, he drove a rental car provided by his team. 노래방알바
The game started at 6:41 p.m. local time, but Pinto arrived at the stadium at around 7:15 p.m. Philadelphia center hitter Bryce Harper hit three home runs, but Pinto missed his first homer in the first inning as he was late to the ballpark. He hardly had time to rest after arriving, but he went to the bullpen to warm up and threw 73 pitches during four innings.
After the game, Pinto said, “It’s been a long day. I drove more than five hours, came late in the middle of the game, but I was ready to pitch. I thought I would be able to come back to Philadelphia again. I never gave up. I wasn’t mentally mature on the mound before, but now I’m good. I have something I want to say to young players in the minor leagues. It’s important to take good care of your mental aspect.”
Since his Major League debut with Philadelphia in 2017, Pinto was sluggish in 25 games (29 ⅔ innings) with one win, two losses and a 7.89 ERA for two holds, before ending his career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. In 2020, he signed a contract with the SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) for a total of 800,000 dollars.
However, he showed sluggish performance in 30 games (162 innings) with six wins and 15 losses, 6.17 ERA and 112 strikeouts. He also had the highest ERA among 20 pitchers in the regular innings in the league. He is the first foreign pitcher to post an ERA in six innings for the first time in the KBO league. He threw fast balls around 150 kilometers on average, but had bad control with five walks per nine innings, and he failed while leading the ball combination on his own, expressing discontent due to poor teamwork with catchers. He often exposed himself to mental shaking as he was reprimanded by the coach for fighting with referees over ball judgment.
At the time, SK had another foreign pitcher Nick Kingham out for the first time in two games due to an elbow injury, and continued to cry and keep writing Pinto due to lack of starting resources throughout the season. Pinto never missed the mound for the full season, but his contract renewal was unimaginable. After leaving Korea, he continued his career in Triple-A under the Detroit Tigers in 2021, Taiwan Professional Baseball in 2022, and Mexico in 2023. He also had the ordeal of being released in four games (16 ⅓ innings) with only one win and two losses with a 6.06 ERA, but he did not give up. While wandering around many countries, he did not let go of baseball, and enjoyed his first save in five years as well as his return to the big league.