Diligently sowing seeds, watering and fertilising, he disappeared during the busiest harvest time.
This is the story of Eric Pedi, 30, a foreign pitcher for the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization.
Pedi led his team to autumn baseball with a dazzling 20-6 record and a 2.00 ERA in the 2023 KBO regular season, but when it mattered most, he didn’t take the mound and watched his team lose from afar.
Pedi did not take the mound in the wild-card decider against the Doosan Bears, the semi-playoffs against the SSG Landers, and the playoffs (PO) against the KT Wiz, appearing in only one game, Game 1 on the 30th of last month.
Pedi also didn’t pitch in Game 5 of the PO against kt at Katwiz Park in Suwon on the 5th. He didn’t start or appear in the bullpen.
He moved to the bullpen to warm up during the game, 안전카지노사이트 but did not take the mound.
NC lost the series 2-3, putting an end to their autumn baseball campaign.
After the game, NC head coach Kang Myung-ho said, “I tried to move (Pedi), but he said it was heavy,” adding, “That’s how it happened.”
The team respected Pedi’s wishes and did not use him in the bullpen.
The ostensible reason for Peddy’s absence is injury.
Peddie was hit in the right forearm by a pitch during his last start of the regular season against the KIA Tigers on 16 March.
He suffered a bruise, and the NC removed his name from the roster for the wild-card game to give him time to recover.
His recovery was slow. He spent two weeks recovering and, against all odds, played in the first round of the PO.
Pedi didn’t look out of shape. In Game 1 of the POs, he pitched six innings of three-hit ball with one walk and one strikeout to earn the win.
He also struck out 12 batters.
“He looked in better shape than in the regular season,” said Lee Kang-chul, the opposing manager.
However, Pedi never pitched again.
Some speculated that he had thrown in the towel. The story goes that Pedi, who was being courted by American professional baseball teams, was deliberately not throwing because he was afraid of aggravating his injury.
His attitude has also been criticised. On the day of the game, he was caught on camera standing impassively in the middle of the celebrating players. He was even shown yawning.
Pedi had been lethargic before the game. He shook his head when asked for comment. After the game, he didn’t say much and packed his bags in a hurry.
He didn’t look like the winner of the Choi Dong-won Award (20 million won), given to the best pitcher in the KBO last month.
The Choi Dong-won Memorial Project, in honour of the late pitcher who won four games in the 1984 Korean Series on his own, awards the prize to a player who has not only shown the best performance but also exemplified the spirit of good conduct and fair play.
Pedi’s refusal to pitch is highlighted by comparisons to KT’s foreign pitchers, including William Cuevas, who came out on three days’ rest to win Game 4, and Wes Benjamin, who pitched Game 5 on four days’ rest. 카지노사이트