“I’d rather get a hit than give up a walk”
Pitchers often say this, but not many of them put it into practice. There are times when you’re facing multiple batters, you’re fighting a tough battle, and your pitches aren’t always going your way. As a pitcher, no matter how much you want to avoid giving up walks, you can’t be completely free of them for one reason or another.
Such was the case with Lotte’s new foreign pitcher, Aaron Wilkerson (34), who was brought in to start the second half of the season. Wilkerson met with reporters at Sajik Stadium on March 21 and talked about his strikeouts.
“If I had to describe myself in one word, I’d say I’m a strike-throwing pitcher, and being able to throw all my pitches for strikes is my biggest strength. I think that’s what I’ve been able to do throughout my career and why I’ve been able to experience the major leagues.” “I’d rather hit a home run that travels 8,000 meters than give up a walk,” he said. 먹튀검증
I’ve heard many pitchers say, “I’d rather get a hit than give up a walk,” but I’ve never heard anyone put it so strongly as “I’d rather get hit by a home run that travels 8,000 meters”.
But what’s even more amazing is that he’s actually practicing what he preaches. Wilkerson made his KBO debut against the Jamsil Doosan on March 26 and pitched five innings of six-hit ball to earn his first win. Wilkerson allowed only two walks.
He did the same on the first day of August against Sasak NC. In six innings of three-run ball, Wilkerson earned a Quality Start (QS) and walked just one batter. Against Sasik SSG on the 6th, he was even more impressive. He didn’t face a hit until the seventh inning, and it wasn’t until the seventh that he gave up his first and last walk. After throwing a seven-inning no-hitter to lead Lotte’s first team no-hitter, Wilkerson pitched six shutout innings against KIA on the 11th and didn’t allow a single walk.
In four games in a Lotte uniform, Wilkerson has a 2-0 record with a 1.88 ERA. He’s allowed just four walks in 24 innings, which really shows how much he hates giving up walks. When he says, “I’d rather be hit by a home run that travels 8,000 meters,” it’s almost as if he has more home runs than strikeouts, but he hasn’t hit a single home run yet.
Wilkerson’s performance was made all the more rewarding by the fact that Lotte manager Larry Sutton has made a late-game push. “Wilkerson and Barnes will now pitch on four days’ rest,” Sutton said before the game against Gochuk Kiwoom on Aug. 8. It’s a game-changer for Lotte, which is in desperate need of a second-half rebound. With Park Se-woong slumping in the second half, Na Kyun-ahn out with a hamstring injury, and Lee In-bok and Han Hyun-hee unreliable as starters, Lotte needed to make a decision.
However, Wilkerson has been pitching even stronger now that he’s been scheduled to start on four days’ rest. So far, Lotte’s game plan has been successful. The reason he’s able to get as many innings as possible without throwing a lot of pitches is because he’s extremely wary of walks.