'23 minutes, 12 batters, 49 pitches, 8 runs allowed in one inning' — Why didn't they change the pitcher?

*This content was translated by AI.

Why didn't they change him?

The game between SSG Landers and KT Wiz was held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 13th. SSG starting pitcher Takeda (33) showed extreme difficulty after two outs in the bottom of the second inning, allowing a staggering eight runs. Yet, no pitcher change was made. Takeda returned in the bottom of the third inning, allowing one more run, before handing the mound to Lee Jun-ki at the start of the bottom of the fourth.

Takeda's start that day was good. After the team's lineup scored one run in the top of the first, he took the mound and struck out Choi Won-jun, recorded a center field fly out by Kim Sang-su, and induced a ground ball to the third baseman from Kim Hyun-su. He finished the inning with just nine pitches. In the bottom of the second, he struck out the first batter, Hilliard, walked Kim Min-hyeok, but immediately struck out Jang Sung-woo.

Up to that point, it was fine. However, he allowed a left-field single to Heo Kyung-min, and with two outs and runners on first and second, he gave up a tying two-run single to Yoo Jun-gyu. As Lee Kang-min's hit loaded the bases, pitching coach Kyung Heon-ho came to the mound to speak with Takeda.

But the onslaught continued. He immediately allowed a two-run single to the left field by Choi Won-jun, giving KT a 3-1 lead. A walk to Kim Sang-su loaded the bases again. There, he surrendered a three-run double to the gap in right-center field by Kim Hyun-su.

It wasn't over. He also gave up a large two-run home run to Hilliard, extending the score to 1-8. He allowed another two-run single to the next batter, Kim Min-hyeok, permitting eight consecutive baserunners, yet the SSG bench remained unmoved. Takeda managed to close the inning by striking out Jang Sung-woo.

In one inning, he threw 49 pitches to 12 batters, allowing seven hits, four walks, and eight runs. It took about 23 minutes to record just three outs. Even after that, Takeda returned to the mound in the bottom of the third, allowing one more run on 33 pitches before finishing his outing. Over three innings, he allowed nine hits, four walks, recorded five strikeouts, and gave up nine runs, throwing 91 pitches total. SSG surrendered the most runs and hits (20) in a single game this season in the league to KT, suffering a decisive 18-4 defeat.

Takeda, wearing the SSG uniform under the Asia quota, had gone 1-4 with an ERA of 8.14 in his previous six games. His only win came on April 25 against Incheon KT (five scoreless innings). Although he seemed to find stability in the following game on May 1 against Lotte Giants, allowing just one run over 5⅓ innings, he collapsed again in his previous appearance on the 7th against NC Dinos, giving up seven runs in 4⅓ innings.

Lee Sung-yong (55), SSG manager, said the following about Takeda ahead of the game:

"He is gradually improving. However, I believe the main issue is that the defense does not adequately support him when Takeda is pitching. Because he couldn't overcome such situations, he collapsed all at once. But his stuff is gradually improving, so if he can handle the early part of the game well today, he should be fine."

Given these expectations, perhaps they kept him on the mound, hoping Takeda would somehow overcome the crisis. Moreover, with a sudden surge of runs, including Kim Hyun-su's three-run RBI single and Hilliard's two-run homer, it may have been difficult to find the right timing for a change. Additionally, key relief pitchers such as Moon Seung-won, Lee Ro-un, Noh Gyeong-eun, and Jo Byeong-hyun had appeared in consecutive games on the 10th against Doosan Bears and on the 12th against KT, suggesting an intention to minimize bullpen usage.

Takeda's season statistics have risen to 1-5 with an ERA of 10.21 in seven games. SSG, already struggling to assemble its starting rotation due to injuries to Kim Kwang-hyun, Kim Min-jun, and Mitch White, now faces a major concern with Takeda's poor performance.

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*This content was translated by AI.