Hanwha Eagles’ new foreign pitcher Ricardo Sanchez (26) completed a successful KBO league debut. It was worth the long wait.
Sanchez started against the Samsung Lions in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park on the 11th. On this day, he recorded 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and no run in 4 innings. After completing the scheduled innings, he passed the ball to Nam Ji-min from the 5th inning.
On this day, Sanchez used a variety of pitches, including fastballs (29), two-seam (3), curve (8), slider (8), and changeup (5) to block the opponent’s batting line. 53 total pitches. The highest speed was recorded at 152 km.
Manager Carlos Subero said, “Sanchez’s bullpen pitching was great. His personality was also really good. It is a typical style of foreign players who are good at adapting,” he said, expressing expectations for Sanchez. He said, “There are about four pitches that can count. The pitch is also excellent. We will see how he uses it in his first appearance.”
From the first episode, Sanchez got off to a fresh start with a tripartite offense. Leading hitter Kang Han-wool was treated as a shortstop ground ball. Lee Jae-hyeon was then treated as a floating ball in right field, and Koo Ja-wook was also caught with a floating ball in center field.
In the 2nd inning, he was backed by the other team’s 2-run support. Sanchez ended the inning with a scoreless score. He got a right-handed hit by leadoff batter Jose Pirella. However, Oh Jae-il was treated as a floating ball by center fielder, and Kim Tae-gun induced a shortstop grounder to finish the inning with a double hit.
In the third inning, he deleted the inning without hesitation. Sanchez induced a ground ball to subdue opposing batters. Leading batter Kim Ji-chan was grounded to first base, Lee Seong-gyu was grounded by shortstop, and Lee Byung-hun was grounded by third base.
In the 4th inning, he received help from a defensive shift. Sanchez struck out lead hitter Kang Han-wool, but immediately gave Lee Jae-hyun a straight walk. Here, Lee Jae-hyun allowed second base to be stolen, and Koo Ja-wook got a right-handed hit. Sanchez, who was driven to a crisis with one out, first and third base. He induced Pirella to ground a ball to first base. At this time, catcher Choi Jae-hoon tagged out the runner on third base who was rushing home, preventing the runner from conceding a run. And when Oh Jae-il was at bat, the infield team moved to the right side, and the shortstop jumped up to catch the hit ball and prevented a run. 안전놀이터
Hanwha felt the vacancy of foreign pitchers as Birch Smith left due to injury. Hopefully now it will be a little less worrying. This is because Sanchez showed more than expected pitching in his first appearance. In a crisis situation, the beasts also relieved Sanchez’s burden with lake rain. That’s how Sanchez finished his debut match at the home stadium where Hanwha fans gathered.
Meanwhile, Hanwha beat Samsung 4-0 and won the winning series with two consecutive wins.