Who would throw a stone at Hurado? Samsung's new ace experienced the misfortune of becoming the losing pitcher despite his incredible performance of 8 innings, 11 strikeouts, and 2 runs allowed due to the silence of the batting lineup.
Foreign pitcher Ariel Hurado of the Samsung Lions made a starting appearance in the first matchup of the season against the Doosan Bears on the 28th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, becoming the losing pitcher for the first time this season despite pitching 8 innings with 4 hits allowed, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs on 99 pitches.
Hurado, who started off brightly by retiring the side in order in the first inning with only 7 pitches, allowed just one hit to Yang Seok-hwan in the second inning but showcased dominating pitching by striking out the other three batters. Doosan's key batters Jake Cave, Yang Eui-ji, and Park Jun-young were helpless against Hurado's dancing breaking balls.
The third inning was the flaw. Hurado began to waver after allowing an unexpected bunt single to Jeong Soo-bin with one out. He managed to breathe a sigh of relief by striking out Kim Min-seok, but faced a crisis of 2 outs with runners on first and second when he gave up a 2-run triple to Kang Seung-ho that split the right-center gap.
Hurado quickly regained his stability starting in the fourth inning. He allowed the leadoff batter Yang Eui-ji to reach on a walk, but then dealt with Yang Seok-hwan by striking him out and turned a double play against Park Jun-young, achieving an impressive 4 consecutive innings retiring the side in order from the fifth to the eighth. From Yang Seok-hwan in the fourth inning to Jeon Da-min, the last batter in the eighth, Hurado faced a remarkable streak of 14 consecutive batters retired.
However, the opposing starting pitcher, Doosan ace Colurbain, was not easy to handle either. Colurbain pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and no earned runs on 87 pitches, engaging in a pitcher's duel with Hurado. Subsequently, Lee Young-ha threw ⅔ innings without allowing any runs, and Kim Taek-yeon finished with 1⅓ innings also without allowing any runs in a relay of strong pitching.
Naturally, the Samsung batting lineup could not support Hurado's solid pitching. To make matters worse, luck did not follow in the latter half of the game. After one out in the seventh, Kang Min-ho's big hit went over the left wall, but video review confirmed that the ball hit the top of the wall and was adjusted from a home run to a double. Additionally, Lewin Diaz struck out swinging, and Park Byeong-ho popped out to right field, failing to capitalize on a scoring opportunity.
The eighth inning was also disappointing. Leadoff batter Kim Young-woong hit a single against the new pitcher Lee Young-ha before being replaced by pinch runner Kim Seong-yoon. Following Kim Seong-yoon's stolen base and Lee Young-ha's pickoff attempt at first, first baseman Yang Seok-hwan threw an inaccurate ball towards shortstop Park Jun-young. Kim Seong-yoon entered second base, avoiding Park Jun-young's tag, but the second base umpire Lee Ho-sung declared Kim Seong-yoon out for a three-foot violation, leading manager Park Jin-man to come out onto the field to appeal the decision, causing a temporary halt to the game.
Samsung continued to pressure the Doosan mound with consecutive hits from Ryu Ji-hyuk and Kim Ji-chan, but Lee Jae-hyun struck out looking against new pitcher Kim Taek-yeon, ending the inning.
Samsung lost to Doosan 0-2, falling into a spiral of three consecutive losses after starting the season with three straight wins. Hurado experienced the misfortune of becoming the losing pitcher despite pitching 8 innings allowing 2 earned runs. It was a particularly harsh day for Colurbain and his teammates.
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