Roenis Elias (SSG Landers) showed what it means to be an ace.
Elias started the away game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on April 26. SSG used six pitchers, including starter Park Jong-hoon, against NC on the 25th, and the mound was heavily used up. Speaking to the press before the game on the 26th, manager Lee Sung-yong said, “The best case scenario is if Elias can pitch 6-7 innings.” He hoped for Elias’ performance.
The manager’s sincere wishes were fulfilled. Elias earned his seventh win of the season with seven innings of four-hit ball, one walk, 10 strikeouts, and no runs. The offense was on point, too. They pounded the NC mound for 17 hits, reaching double digits in runs. SSG swept NC 10-1 and moved into a tie for fifth place with KT Wiz.
“As I always say, every pitch counts, and I’m especially happy to get the win today because it was a very important game for our team as we head into fall baseball,” Elias said after the game. Elias followed up his seven-inning, one-run (six hits, two walks, seven strikeouts) shutout against top-five contender KT Wiz on April 21 with another seven scoreless innings. The ace’s instincts shined in the clutch. “I think I enjoy the pressure. I think I enjoy the pressure and it helps me to pitch better,” he said.
After minimizing his mound consumption
He’s tying the record for most strikeouts in a single game, he said, “I knew I had to pitch a lot of innings yesterday because the bullpen was depleted. 카지노사이트 I wanted to pitch the eighth inning, but the score was close, so I just pitched the seventh,” he said. ”It’s even more meaningful to tie the record for most strikeouts in a game.”
In the seventh inning, back-to-back singles by Matt Davidson and Hwijip Kim put runners on first and second with no outs, but Elias was able to get pinch-hitter Minwoo Park to ground out to short. “All I could think about was that I had to catch the pinch-hitter, Min-woo Park, in a crisis situation,” Elias said of the situation.
Each game was crucial in the race to the best-of-five. It was like playing Game 7 of the Korean Series. “Every game is important and we have a lot of young and talented players in our bullpen. I want them to work hard every game, every inning, and do their best to reach their goal of fall baseball.” Finally, he emphasized the team-first mentality, saying, “I’m ready to pitch whenever the team needs me.”
“Elias’ performance yesterday was very important for the team as we had all of our top pitchers on the mound. He pitched on four days’ rest at the most crucial time of the season to help us win the game. I want to praise him for his game management and dedication to the team.”