"KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK"" How can you blame yourself... The head coach of the 'main role of the dynasty' who returned to the Korea stage is also 'thumbs up'

*This content was translated by AI.

Chris Flexen (32), a foreign pitcher who returned to the Doosan Bears, blamed himself despite his scoreless pitching.

Doosan won the opening game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition game against Kiwoom at Bears Park in Icheon on the 12th.

The starting pitcher for Doosan on the day was Flexen. Flexen struck out leadoff hitter Trenton Brooks in the top of the first inning and was hit by An Chi-hong's left-handed double. Flexen, who struck out Lim Ji-yeol with a swing and miss, allowed a straight walk to Choi Joo-hwan and a left-handed hit to Park Chan-hyuk, respectively, causing a bases-loaded crisis. However, he struck out Lim Byung-wook with his fifth curve ball and finished the first inning without losing a point.

In the second inning, he struck out leadoff hitter Eo Jun-seo on three pitches and gave up a walk to Kim Gun-hee. Flexen then gave Park a double over the height of the left field. At that time, Doosan's shrewd relay play came out and caught Kim Gun-hee, who was rushing home. Two outs. Flexen continued his scoreless streak, handling even Brooks' fly ball to second base.

The third episode was KKK. Ahn Chi-hong struck out swinging on the eighth pitch and Lim Ji-yeol on the fourth pitch, respectively, and even Choi Joo-hwan struck out the inning. And Flexen, who also took the mound in the fourth inning, finished his pitch on the day after striking out leadoff hitter Park Chan-hyuk with a rookie strikeout.

Flexen's performance on the day was two walks and eight strikeouts in three ⅓ innings. Flexen threw a total of 73 pitches on the day. With 50 fastballs, 12 cutters, 9 curves, and 1 slider and change-up each thrown, the maximum speed of the fastball was 150km. There were 42 strikes and 31 balls.

After the game, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung said, "We prepared steadily from the camp and played the first game of the exhibition game as planned. The main players reversed the score at the beginning of the game to set the tone, and the young players completed the big innings in the second half, he said. "I was disappointed in the process of losing points in the seventh to ninth innings, but I expect to pitch well in the future." As for Flexen, he said, "I pitched not bad with a strong fastball. He encouraged, saying, "You look in good condition."

Flexen said, "I had a lot of pitches at the beginning of the game, but it got better with the innings. The overall pitching was satisfactory, he said, reflecting on himself, "It's good to have eight strikeouts, but I need to supplement it so that I can pitch more efficiently." It was Flexen who faced a loss crisis amid many pitches in the first and second innings.

He continued, "Before the game, I planned to throw 65 pitches in consultation with manager Kim Won-hyung and pitcher coach Jung Jae-hoon. "I personally wanted to take responsibility for four innings, but I'm sorry I couldn't," he said. "It was nice to meet Doosan Bears fans after a long time." I could feel the enthusiastic support of the fans with my whole body. I didn't experience a full crowd in 2020, but I'm looking forward to taking the mound at Jamsil Baseball Stadium filled with fans this season. Please give us a lot of support," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.