"Shocked!"' Sajik-Jesus, who was commanded by KBO, is now in Taiwan as a 'difficulty' → ERA 6.92 sluggish in 3G

*This content was translated by AI.

Aaron Wilkerson (36, Phu Bang Guardians), who commanded the Sajik mound in compliance with the KBO League Lotte Giants in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, faced the biggest crisis immediately after landing on the Taiwanese stage. He left a report card that was different from the overwhelming Korean days, and eventually was notified of his participation in the second round less than a month after the opening.

Multiple local media, including Taiwan's TSNA, reported on the 14th that "Fubang Guardians removed foreign pitcher Wilkerson from the first-tier entry and sent him down to the second-tier team," adding, "His vacancy will be filled by Japanese pitcher Suzuki Shunsuke."

It is a shocking result. Wilkerson joined Lotte as a substitute outsider in 2023 and played 7-2 with a 2.26 ERA, before also playing a solid first starter role for the team with a 12-8 record and a 3.84 ERA in 2024. He even earned the nickname "Sajik Jesus" among fans for his elaborate control and stable game management.

However, his start in the Taiwan Professional Baseball League (CPBL) this year is disastrous. So far, Wilkerson's performance has been poor, with one win and two losses in three games, with a whopping 6.92 ERA. The ball control-oriented pitching, which was a strength in Lotte, collapsed as it led to a positive hit to Taiwanese batters.

Pitcher coach Fubang Ximingje clearly pointed out the cause of Wilkerson's slump. Coach Xu Ming-je told local media, "Wilkerson's ball doesn't seem to have a big difference in speed between pitches. As a result, it is very easy for batters to hit the ball entering the strike zone," he said. He also analyzed, "It seems that the reason for the sluggishness is that we have not yet fully adapted to the strike zone of Taiwanese referees."

The Fubang club were due to give Wilkerson another start, but decided one game early. Coach Xu Ming-je explained, "We originally planned to adjust after one additional appearance, but we decided that we needed time to look back on ourselves as soon as possible in the second division, so we advanced the schedule."

Wilkerson also plans to improve his adaptation and condition by playing the starting rotation in the second division. However, it is expected to be a difficult journey until his return. According to the CPBL regulations, it is possible to return after at least 15 days when foreigners are canceled, and there are currently three more foreign pitchers in the second division of Fubang who are seeking the first-team position.

Whether "Sajik Jesus," who bombed KBO, will be able to return to the first-team mound without being labeled as a failure to adapt to the Taiwanese stage, domestic baseball fans are paying attention to his future moves.

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*This content was translated by AI.