NC’s “Ace” Eric Peddy, 30, has left his mark on baseball history. He became the fifth pitcher in KBO history to win 20 games and strike out 200 batters in 37 years. He is also the first foreigner to do so.
Pedi started against Hanwha at Changwon NC Park on Tuesday and pitched six innings of seven-hit, one-run ball to lead the team to a 2-0 victory, earning his 20th win in 29 appearances in the 2023 season. Pedi, who had 198 strikeouts entering the game, added six more on the day to pass the 200-strikeout mark.
Over the years, there have been several pitchers with 20 wins and 200 strikeouts, but you have to go all the way back to the 1980s to find an example of them doing it together. It’s a difficult feat to accomplish at the same time. Jang Myung-bu (Sammi) first achieved the feat in 1983, followed by Choi Dong-won (Lotte) in 1984, Kim Si-jin (Samsung) in 1985, and Sun Dong-yeol (Haetae) in 1986.
Making his first start in nine days due to shoulder fatigue, Peddie lived up to his ace title and quickly approached the milestone in front of him. He struck out Hanwha’s leadoff hitter, Choi In-ho, in the first inning and then retired Chae Eun-sung on a wild pitch in the second to reach the 200-strikeout plateau.
Although he faced a few close calls with Hanwha hitters, he kept them at bay with his changeup, which topped out at 153 mph, and his main weapon, a sweeper. The NC bullpen, which took over for Peddie in the seventh inning, kept the game close until Jason Martin’s RBI double in the bottom of the inning.
Lowering his ERA to 2.06, Peddy led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA, boosting his chances for regular-season MVP honors. “I’m very happy to have reached the 20-win mark,” Pedi said after the game, “and I want to give this honor to my teammates because it was a team effort.” Pedi, who is available for additional starts during the remainder of the season, is also cautious about his ambitions for a sub-one ERA: “My schedule will change depending on where the team is in the standings, but it’s a record that’s not impossible, so I’m even more eager to get there,” he said.
In Jamsil, seventh-ranked Lotte was swept 0-7 by first-ranked LG, confirming its elimination from the top five. This marks the sixth consecutive year Lotte has missed the postseason, last seen in 2017.
In Gocheok, Kiwoom beat Samsung 5-3 thanks to Lim Ji-yeol’s game-winning two-run homer. Kiwoom’s Lee Jung-hoo came in as a pinch hitter in the bottom 카지노사이트 of the eighth inning and hit a grounder to third base in his first at-bat in 80 days since injuring his ankle in July. In Gwangju, third-place SSG beat KIA 6-5. In Suwon, KT clinched a 5-4 victory over Doosan with a two-out, bases-loaded walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to clinch a direct playoff berth in the final regular season game in second place.