“Let’s make a game with me”…The pitcher who talked to the No. 1 saves pitcher kept his promise with a backhanded pitch [MDIncheon].

“Let’s make a game with you and me.스포츠토토“

That’s what SSG Landers foreign pitcher Roenis Elias told Seo Jin-yong. Elias started the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game against the LG Twins at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday and pitched eight innings, allowing one run (one earned) on four hits (one home run) and striking out one.

With two outs in the first inning, Elias gave up the first hit of the game to Hyun-Soo Kim, but got Austin Dean to fly out to left field. He then retired the side in order in the second and third innings. In the fourth, he gave up a leadoff single to Shin Min-jae and then induced a groundout to Kim Hyun-soo to get out of the jam.

Elias gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead. He gave up a leadoff home run to Do-hwan Heo to tie the game. But he didn’t falter after that, pitching through the eighth inning without any major damage. He didn’t allow a single runner into scoring position on the day. Seo Jin-yong came on in the bottom of the ninth to protect the lead and close out the game.

Coach Kim Won-hyung commented on Elias’ performance, saying, “Elias pitched his best game. It was a tough outing for him in a losing streak, but he was aggressive and kept the long innings to a minimum.”

Roenis Elias./Incheon=Kyung-hoon Kwak kphoto@mydaily.co.kr

After the game, Elias said, “I pitched my best, I pitched as hard as I could. I threw 93 pitches in the seventh inning, but I wanted to go one more inning and give the bullpen a break,” he said. “I thought the bullpen was overloaded this week, so I wanted to go to the eighth inning.”

Elias pitched eight innings in the game, the most in his KBO debut. He threw 104 pitches through the eighth inning. He mixed a four-seam fastball (60 pitches), changeup (25 pitches), and slider (19 pitches). His fastball topped out at 152 km/h.

Loenis Elias./Incheon=Kyung-hoon Byun Reporter kphoto@mydaily.co.kr

“I was in good shape to pitch until the ninth inning,” Elias said, “but before the game, I talked to Seo Jin-yong and said, ‘Today, you and I will make a game of it.’ I trusted him and gave him the ninth inning.”

Elias roared after getting Park Hae-min, the last batter of the eighth inning, to ground out to first base. ”I felt a lot of quiet because the team was in a losing streak,” he said, “and I wanted my teammates to be more aggressive and excited to play.”

Loenis Elias./Incheon=Kyung-hoon Kwak Reporter kphoto@mydaily.co.kr