Korean baseball’s LG Twins foreign pitcher Dietrich Enns (33) continues to struggle with his adjustments.
In a start against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on April 16, Enns gave up six runs on nine hits, three walks, one hit batter, and three strikeouts in 3⅔ innings.
Enns, who was expected to be the LG’s No. 1 starter this season, has struggled to a 4-2 record with a 5.37 ERA in 10 games (52 innings). He threw 89 pitches in the game, including a fastball (38), changeup (23), cutter (15), curve (7), and slider (6). His fastball topped out at 151 kilometers per hour and he used his changeup as his new primary weapon, but his other pitches didn’t have the same impact.
In an interview before the game, LG manager Yoon Kyung-yup said, “Enes adjusted his pitching motion. Originally, he was stepping on the first base side, but then he switched to the third base side. Before, his changeup would drop and leave the zone and just go outside, so hitters would just throw it away and it had no value against him. 안전놀이터 But when I switched to the third base side, eight out of 10 changeups went for strikes, and that’s when you start to see some value,” he said, explaining his new changeup.
Indeed, Enns’ changeup was a big part of his day, and it paid off.
He threw 12 pitches for strikes and 11 pitches for balls, and ended up going 1-for-5 with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout. However, his other pitches weren’t performing as well, which hurt his overall game. Instead of a single hit by his changeup, he allowed eight hits by his other pitches.
After winning their first Korean Series title in 29 years last year, LG had high hopes of building a dynasty, but their record this season is far from satisfactory. With 23 wins, two ties and 20 losses, a .535 winning percentage, they are tied for fifth place with SSG (23 wins, one tie and 20 losses). 파워볼실시간 They are 3.5 games behind first-place KIA (26 wins, 1 draw, 16 losses).
LG is in desperate need of foreign pitchers to make a leap to the top of the standings. While Enns has been struggling, longtime foreign pitcher Casey Kelly, who is in his sixth season, is also struggling, going 1-5 with a 4.88 ERA in nine games (51⅔ innings). More and more voices are pointing out the need to replace foreign pitchers.
However, foreign pitchers aren”t something you can change just because you want to.
Of course, every team keeps a list of candidates just in case, but there is no guarantee that they will perform better when they actually make the switch.
“Enns is not a pitcher who came to Korea because he was successful anyway, so he has the mindset and desperation to accept anything. The spirit of challenge is also good. We also want to keep foreign pitchers rather than replace them. It’s important to bring in foreign pitchers, but I think it’s also very important how you use them. If they are stubborn, we have to change them. There’s no time to wait. But Enns keeps making changes and practicing new pitches,” he said, emphasizing that the best case scenario is for Enns to rebound.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yup ordered many changes to revitalize Enns.
His arm angle was adjusted and the pitching plate was repositioned. “When you go from throwing from the first base side to the third base side, things like the pitcher’s vision might change a little bit. But it won’t have a big impact. There is no structural change. He’s not a pitcher who throws a big lateral curveball like a sweeper. He’s not throwing a sweeper or a big lateral curveball, so it’s possible that he’s going to have more body contact against right-handed hitters,” he said, adding that he doesn’t expect the adjustment to have a negative impact on Enns. However, in this game, he struggled with his command and struggled to get hitters out.
If Enns’ slump continues, LG will eventually have to make a decision. Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop has said that the team usually starts preparing for a foreign player’s slump in late May and replacements are made in May or June. Now that we’re in mid-May, 에볼루션 바카라사이트 there’s not much time left for Enns. Fans are anxiously watching to see if Enns can show a different side in the remaining matches. / Photo.