Chris Flexen (29-Seattle Mariners), once a reverse-export phenomenon in the Korean Baseball Organization, has become a major league losing pitcher.
Flexen allowed one run on two hits (one home run) and one walk while striking out one in 2 1/3 innings of relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Flexen took the mound in the eighth inning, down 6-10. It was a no-decision, and one out later, he gave up a leadoff solo home run to Brian Reynolds. On a 3B-1S unfavorable count, the five-pitch, 91.9-mph (147-kilometer) fastball sailed over the right-field fence. It was the fourth time in Pittsburgh franchise history that a player fell victim to seven home runs in a single game.
Flexen settled down afterward. After retiring the next two hitters, Connor Joe and Carlos Santana, he faced Zack Swinski, Brian Hayes and Tucupita Makano for a nine-pitch triple play in the ninth inning with the score 6-11. He threw 21 pitches. His season ERA dropped slightly from 6.44 to 6.32.
Flexen, who is known as a KBO reverse-export myth, took the mound with the game already in hand.
After serving as the Doosan Bears’ fall ace in the 2020 season, Flexen returned to the big leagues the following year, signing a two-year, $12.75 million deal with Seattle. In his first year back, he went 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 games and became a KBO reverse-export phenomenon.
Flexen had a solid year last year, going 메이저사이트 8-9 with a 3.73 ERA in 33 games, but his role shifted to the bullpen in August. In relief, he went 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 11 games with two saves, but missed the postseason.
In his third year back in the big leagues, Flexen returned to the starting rotation. However, he struggled mightily, going 4-0 with a 10.38 ERA in four starts, and was moved to the bullpen on May 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays. A tailgate role is also known as a blowout or chase game when a team is not in a must-win group and is either winning or losing by a large margin. On this day, he was in the losing column and gave up a home run.
The good news is that he has been moved to the bullpen and is getting back on track. Flexen’s season record is 4-4 with a 6.32 ERA in 11 starts, but he has a 1.29 ERA in seven starts out of the bullpen.