Kenta Maeda (Minnesota Twins) showed hesitation in the third appearance of the exhibition game.
Maeda started in a home game against the Baltimore Orioles held at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida, USA on the 8th (Korean time), recording 2⅔ innings, 3 hits, 5 walks, 1 strikeout and 1 run. Out of 57 total pitches, only 27 were strikes.
Maeda, who overcame the crisis with 1 out and 1st and 2nd bases in the 1st inning, contributed 1 point with a balk in the situation with 1 out and bases loaded in the 2nd inning. After two outs in the third inning, he was driven to the bases loaded crisis with a double, a hit ball, and a walk. He handed over the mound to Roch St. John and finished his mission for the day.
On the 26th of last month, his first appearance in the exhibition game, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Maeda cut the first tape well with 1 hit, 1 strikeout and no runs in 1 inning, and cleared 2 innings cleanly in the match against Tampa Bay on the 3rd. He allowed two hits and one walk, but did not connect for a run and struck out two.
According to a report by Japanese sports media ‘Sankei Sports’, Maeda said after the game, “It seems that it was not good. In regards to being allowed five runs, she said, “It has nothing to do with Pitch Clock. It just didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. Pitch Clock doesn’t care.” 이브벳 토토
He was on the verge of conceding three innings in a row and said, “I couldn’t control all pitches properly. I think it is. I will revise it again for the next time.”
Current condition is good. Maeda explained, “The condition of my elbow is not a problem at all. I endured the pain before I went on the operating table, but now I am not stressed. I am thinking of gradually increasing the number of pitches and innings.”
Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) and Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), who had undergone elbow ligament joint surgery in the past, responded, “After the surgery, it doesn’t seem like my elbow.” In response, Maeda expressed satisfaction, saying, “On the contrary, before the surgery, I felt as if my elbow wasn’t there. I feel happy just by not being in pain.”