Why did KBO come back to 'Beyond Phone Power'? → 2 consecutive 'KKKKKKK' domination, even "It gets better."" expectations for the head coach

*This content was translated by AI.

Chris Flexen (32), a returning foreign pitcher of the Doosan Bears, once again showed off his powerful strikeout ability and made a clear impression.

Flexen started the exhibition game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 17th and gave up one run (one earned run) with five hits, eight strikeouts and no four outs in four innings.

It was Flexen's second appearance. Flexen started the exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Icheon Bears Park on the 12th and pitched three ⅓ innings with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung, the head coach at the time, said of Flexen, "In fact, Flexen's appearance was so intense during the camp six years ago. So, it is true that I was a little worried that my ball power seemed to have fallen a little bit at the beginning of this camp. But playing in the game definitely revived my ball power. It's still a build-up process about the number of pitches, so I confirmed that even if it's okay, there may be concerns from the standpoint of watching, but it was unfavorable. "It will be better if the weather gets warmer," he said, expressing strong trust.

In addition, Flexen showed off his strength to strike out eight in two consecutive games until the game. The performance in the two exhibition games was 0.276 with eight hits, two walks, 16 strikeouts and one run (one earned run) in seven ⅓ innings, 1.36 in on-base allowance per inning (WHIP) and 1.23 in ERA.

In the bottom of the first inning, Flexen struck out leadoff hitter Oh Jae-won with a swing and miss and caught subsequent Peraza with a ground ball to first base, respectively. He allowed a hit to the right-center after an eight-pitch match with Kang Baek-ho, but he struck out Chae Eun-sung with a fifth curve to end the first inning.

The second episode was perfect with KKK. Choi In-ho, Ha Joo-seok, and Lee Do-yoon were struck out in order. In the third inning, leadoff hitter Heo In-seo gave up a hit to left field. However, he struck out Shim Woo-joon with a swing and miss on the ninth pitch and Oh Jae-won with a rookie strikeout on the fifth pitch, and then threw Peraza out with a fly ball to right field to continue his scoreless streak.

The only run came in the fourth inning. He allowed a right-center hit to leadoff hitter Kang Baek-ho and a left-handed hit to follow-up Chae Eun-sung, putting him on the verge of first and second bases with no outs. Choi struck out swinging. He guided Ha Joo-seok to a ground ball to the second base, and became the first and third bases with two outs. Flexen made a throwing error on the first base when Lee Do-yoon hit a ground ball in front of the pitcher, who entered the next at-bat, and in the meantime, third baseman Kang Baek-ho scored. But that was the end of the loss. He finished his pitch on the day by catching Heo In-seo with a flyout to shortstop. The maximum speed of the fastball was 152 km.

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 a dynasty. The U.S. native took the mound 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 to the Korean Series through the playoffs.

Based on this strong performance, Flexen returned 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 they performed an ace-class performance.

In particular, in the 2021 season, he pitched in 31 games, recording 14 wins, 6 losses and an ERA of 3.61. He performed well in his starting rotation with 125 strikeouts in 179 ⅔ innings. In the 2021 season, he ranked first in the Seattle club's most wins, starting ERA, and most innings. After that, he played for the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox, and last season, he went 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA for the Chicago Cubs. And this time, he signed a contract for a total of $1 million, and returned to Doosan again after six years. An official from Doosan explained the background of his re-entry, saying, "We confirmed that the ball still remains."

If Flexen performs like the end of the 2020 season, it is expected to surpass the record of Cody Ponce (currently Toronto Blue Jays), who dominated the KBO league last year. How will Flexen perform this season. It is no exaggeration to say that the revival of Doosan, which ranked ninth last year, depends on Flexen's shoulder.

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*This content was translated by AI.