*This content was translated by AI.
Doosan Bears ace Chris Flexen (31) successfully pitched his first bullpen session at the first spring camp in Sydney, Australia.
According to Doosan officials, there was a lot of praise for Flexen, who threw his first bullpen pitching.
After arriving in Australia on the 29th of last month, which was his day off, Flexen participated in training on the 30th. He then threw his first bullpen session on the 1st, the third day of training. It wasn't a high intensity. It is said that it was about lightly checking his physical condition by spraying only 35 balls.
Flexen came to Australia with six bullpens pitching already in the U.S. and built himself. Despite the fact that the bullpen pitching was just a light check of his condition, there was a lot of praise from the coaching staff under manager Kim Won-hyung.
Head coach Kim Won-hyung praised, "I think the command is better than when we did it together (2020)."
The pitching coaches also said, "I feel like I've been preparing well." Catcher Kim Ki-yeon, who received Flexen's ball himself, said, "I felt like the fastball was coming in alive. It was really good even though it was my first pitch," he said, giving a thumbs-up.
Flexen said through the Doosan club, "I'm in good condition, and I'm satisfied with the pitching overall. I threw it as if I was only looking for my hand's senses. In addition to the fastball, I used change-ups, curves, and cutters, and it felt good," he said.
"It's just February. There is more to pull up. The build-up is going well as planned. At the first meeting, he told the players, "Let's move toward victory like Slogan Time to MOVE ON." The reason why all players are preparing abroad during this period will eventually be to win the Korean Series. Everyone is working hard for this. Please give us a lot of support," he said.
Meanwhile, Flexen is the main character who helped the Doosan Bears advance to the Korean Series for six consecutive years during the 2020 season when they were building their dynasty.
After playing for only one season, he returned to the U.S. and signed a contract for a total of $1 million this time, returning to the KBO league after six years.
The U.S. native played in 21 KBO league games in the 2020 season wearing Doosan's uniform and recorded 8 wins, 4 losses and 3.01 ERA. In particular, in October of that year, he had an overwhelming record of four wins and no losses in five games and an ERA of 0.85.
Above all, for Doosan fans, Flexen remains the "hero of fall baseball." The first round of the semi-playoff against the LG Twins in 2020. At that time, Flexen started and became the winning pitcher with four hits, one walk, 11 strikeouts and no runs in six innings. Doosan showed its strength to drive this momentum through the playoffs and eventually reach the stage of the Korean Series.
Based on this strong performance, Flexen was able to return to the U.S. stage the following year. Ahead of the 2021 season, he signed a two-year, $4.75 million contract with the Seattle Mariners to fulfill his dream of returning to the big leagues.
He also played well. Initially, expectations were 4-5 starters, but he performed as an ace. In the 2021 season, he pitched in 31 games and posted a 14-6 record with a 3.61 ERA. He performed well in his starting rotation with 125 strikeouts in 179 ⅔ innings. In the end, he ranked first in the team's most wins, starting ERA, and most innings, respectively.
In the 2022 season, Flexen took the mound in 33 games, recording 8-9 record with a 3.73 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 137 ⅔ innings. In that way, he played 300 innings in two seasons, meeting his 2023 besting option and receiving $8 million. He was called the main character of the 'KBO Reverse Export Myth'.
However, he did not perform well in the 2023 season with a 2-8 record and 6.86 ERA in Seattle and Colorado, and a 3-15 record and 4.95 ERA in the 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox. Last season, he was 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA for the Chicago Cubs. After returning to the Major League, he posted a record of 32-39 in 147 games and an ERA of 4.48.
A Doosan official explained the background of the re-entry at the time of the announcement of Flexen's return, saying, "There are various starting resources with weapons that can fight batters, such as curves and cutters, as well as fastballs of up to 152km," adding, "We confirmed that the ball power remains with 32 strikeouts (second in single PS history) in five postseason games in 2020."
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*This content was translated by AI.
