KIA aims for a full-fledged rise in the rankings in the second half. The winner is a foreign pitcher. Changed both of them. Mario Sanchez (29) and Thomas Panoni (29). In particular, Sanchez left a strong impression in his debut match. There was a reason. The mentality is different.
Sanchez started against Suwon KT on the 9th and showed off a quality start (QS) pitching with 5 hits (1 home run), 10 strikeouts and 1 run in 6.1 innings. Thanks to that, KIA also won 5-1. It was a 5-game winning streak.
It was the first appearance of a replacement foreign pitcher, so attention was drawn to it. And Sanchez showed clear pitching and lived up to the team’s expectations.
It wasn’t that he threw a terrifying fastball. The average speed was 142 km/h. Instead, the pitching was good. There is also a change ball here. He used curve-slider-change-up freely. His chemistry with catcher Kim Tae-goon was perfect.
The unique containment action and double kicking also became a hot topic. As a result, the containment was not a problem. As for the double kicking, there was an answer from the referee, ‘Keep consistency’.
Director Kim Jong-guk said, “It didn’t seem like he cared much. It seems to have a fighting chicken temperament. If you’re consistent, it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Even the judges said so. If there is a problem, I will not do it,” he said.
He continued, “The four-seam and fastball pitches were not outstanding. The strike was well put in overall. He used the sweeper well. The changeup and slider are also good. Strikes can be put in and out. I felt like I was not avoiding it. I know how to fight opponents.”
Sanchez is also full of confidence. “The things I focused on the most with the catcher were the fastball and the sweeper. It’s not about coming to a new league and testing it. Baseball has different characteristics for each batter, and today and tomorrow are also different. It’s about making plans for the game,” he said.
Also, “It seems that the ball thrown in the United States and the ball in the KBO League are similar. Rather, the Taiwanese official ball felt too soft. It took time to adapt. KBO League balls are not much different from American balls. It was not difficult to adapt,” he added.
Regarding adaptation to the KBO league, “I don’t think there is much difference from American hitters. I try to play smart and hit hard. Anyway, I don’t think there are noticeable differences in baseball from country to country. Baseball is all the same. I don’t think it’s a special feature of the KBO League,” he pointed out.
He added, “Overall, it’s good. The team treats you like family. It helped me a lot to get used to at first. I feel like I’ve been on this team for a long time. KIA is a team with many fans. I like it too. There were many KIA fans during the expedition. Motivated. Thanks to that, I was able to throw better.”
Regarding double kicking, “At the time, the referee said, ‘Double kicking itself is not a problem. To do this, you have to go to the same form for every pitch. If you want to do it, continue from the beginning.” If you use it once, it is said to be a violation of the rules. did it a long time ago I’m not sure how my pitching style will change if I get banned. I hope there will be no significant impact,” he approached cautiously.
He called himself ‘The Man of Two Faces’. “I remove all distractions during the game and focus on the game thoroughly. So it seems. Instead, there is a quiet peace in your heart. I am that type of player. The me on the mound and the me below are different. Isn’t it like that?” he laughed.메이저놀이터
Finally, “I am trying to restore my original restraint. I hope so. However, regaining redemption is not everything. I will try to focus on increasing my speed while maintaining my strengths,” he said, revealing his determination to become better.