Detroit Tigers left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus of Major League Baseball showed signs of unease when he entered the game with his team well behind.
De Jesus came on as the Tigers' second pitcher in the visiting game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the 9th (Korean time). He pitched one inning, allowed one hit and two walks with no earned runs, but allowed inherited runners to score.
His command wavered, and he could not cleanly finish the inning. By the numbers it looks like he got through it, but the process was not good. De Jesus came on in the bottom of the sixth as the second pitcher with no outs and runners on first and third, with his team trailing 2-7. Starter Framber Valdez had given up seven runs through five innings and was still on the mound in the sixth. But after allowing a double and a hit and facing a no-out, runners on first and third threat, the bench brought in De Jesus.
He got the first batter, Luke Keisel, to fly out in the scoring threat. But with one out and runners on first and third, the runner on first, Martin, was caught attempting to steal second on a pickoff throw from De Jesus. The runner on first was out in a rundown, but meanwhile the runner on third scored. Valdez's earned run total increased.
After two outs, De Jesus faltered, issuing a walk to Ryan Jeffers, giving up a hit to Victor Caratini, and issuing a walk to Josh Bell. With two outs and the bases loaded, he struck out Matt Winer on a swinging strike to barely escape the inning. He mixed a fastball up to 95 mph with a changeup and a cutter, but his command wavered and he struggled to get through the inning.
De Jesus joined the KBO League in 2024 wearing the Kiwoom Heroes uniform for a total of $800,000. In his first KBO season he appeared in 30 games, going 13-11 with a 3.68 earned run average.
After showing competitiveness, De Jesus signed with the KT Wiz the following year for $1 million. But he was released after going 9-9 with one hold and a 3.96 earned run average in 32 games. He then returned to the United States, signed a minor league contract with Detroit and sought a return to the big leagues for the first time in three years since 2023.
In spring training he was solid, throwing nine innings over four games and allowing three runs (none earned), and, as a Venezuelan native, he also tasted the joy of winning the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
At one point, when Samsung Lions foreign pitcher Matt Manning was injured and a replacement foreign pitcher was discussed, De Jesus was mentioned, but he made Detroit's 40-man major league roster and then the opening roster, allowing him to continue his life in the United States.
De Jesus recorded a successful return on March 28 against the San Diego Padres, earning a relief win with one inning, one hit, two strikeouts and no runs, but he has since failed to show stability in the bullpen. This season he has appeared in four games, posting 5 2/3 innings pitched, five runs allowed (four earned) and a 6.35 earned run average.
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