Charlie Barnes (28) of the Lotte Giants pitched a no-hitter.
Barnes started the game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Aug. 8 and pitched 5⅔ innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
After striking out the side in the bottom of the first, Barnes was hit by a pitch to lead off the second. A sacrifice bunt by Song Sung-moon put runners on first and second, but Barnes struck out both Kim and Park Chan-hyuk to get out of the jam.
Barnes was hit by a pitch to lead off the third inning. After striking out Kim Jun-wan and Lee Joo-hyung, Barnes gave up a single to Kim Hye-sung to put runners on second and third, but induced Ronnie Dawson to ground out to second base to end the threat. In the bottom of the fourth, he walked Kim Soo-hwan but got Park Chan-hyuk to fly out to left field.
After striking out the side in the fifth, Barnes gave up singles to Kim Tae-jin and Kim Hwi-jip in the sixth and walked Kim Soo-hwan to load the bases. Barnes, who threw 93 pitches, was replaced by Kim Sang-soo in the bottom of the sixth with Lotte leading 1-0. Kim Sang-soo got Park Chan-hyuk to fly out to right field to end the threat with a scoreless inning.
Lotte's bullpen allowed the tying run to score in the eighth inning, blowing the win for Barnes, but the offense came from behind to win 3-1 and extend their winning streak to two games.
Barnes threw a slider (36 pitches), fastball (32 pitches), changeup (18 pitches), and two-seam (7 pitches) on the day. His fastball topped out at 148 miles per hour. Barnes utilized his slider to attack hitters in the zone and struck out four batters with it alone.
Manager Larry Sutton said before the game, "Barnes and Wilkerson are in good shape, and we need to keep moving forward toward the postseason. That's why we decided to go with a four-man rotation. We're always trying to manage the pitch count of our starters. But with Barnes and Wilkerson, we're going to be more careful. They're not going to go down too fast, but they're not going to throw 120 pitches." The plan is to utilize Barnes and Wilkerson as much as possible the rest of the season in order to make a run at the postseason.
In his postgame interview, Barnes said of the four-day rotation, "I don't have any complaints. I actually like it. I'm just happy to be able to get on the mound and throw the ball as a guy who can compete. So far, I'm not feeling any physical strain at all," he said.
Barnes was in trouble several times on the day, but he did his part. He kept his pitch count under 100 pitches and worked a scoreless sixth inning. With Kim Sang-soo preventing the tying run from reaching base, Barnes was able to pitch a scoreless inning. However, Lotte's bullpen was unfortunate to blow Barnes' win.
Lotte turned things around with two straight wins. With back-to-back strong performances by Wilkerson and Barnes, it will be interesting to see if Lotte, who used a four-man rotation to secure a postseason berth, can make a run in the rest of the season. 안전카지노사이트
Ten Major League Baseball teams have begun their end-of-season sprints to make the postseason and prepare for a comeback next year.
The 2023 KBO regular season will conclude on Oct. 10, depending on how many games remain on the schedule.
The final variable that will determine the standings is the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The KBO will not suspend the league during the Hangzhou Asian Games, which begin on March 23.
Baseball at the Asian Games begins on Oct. 1, and the Korean National Baseball Team will call up its players from professional clubs on the 22nd to train for about five days before leaving for Hangzhou, China.
The tournament ends on October 7, and by the time the players return to their teams, the regular season is over.
The two weeks that the teams will have to endure without their key players will determine the fall baseball bracket and the sixth-place finisher.
As a result, teams will focus on racking up more wins before they are called up to the national team.
The remaining schedule, released by the KBO on March 29, features a number of intriguing "lock-in" and "upset" matchups.
The leading LG Twins, who are advancing toward their first Korean Series appearance in 21 years, and the second-place KT Wiz, who trail LG by 4.5 games, will play a fateful three-game series in Suwon on May 5-7.
If the current gap holds until the eve of the three-game series, LG will have the advantage in consolidating its lead.
It would be a different story if KT swept the three-game series, but LG can keep its lead at 3.5 games with just one win and two losses.
The three-game series between the Kia Tigers and Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the same day will also be of interest.
As of Aug. 31, KIA is in fifth place, 1.5 games back of sixth-place Doosan, which is good enough for the final spot in fall baseball.
Kia and Doosan will face off for the second straight week on Sept. 15-17 when the series shifts to Gwangju. The outcome of the six-game series could make the difference between the two teams.
Two games behind KT and third-place SSG Landers' three-game series in Suwon (Aug. 8-10), where fourth place is at stake.
The seventh-ranked Lotte Giants, who are preparing for their last hurrah after manager Larry Sutton's voluntary resignation, will need to perform remarkably well against their top-five rivals Doosan (1-3), NC (8-10) and KIA (13-14) to have any hope. 카지노사이트