Japan, which dramatically passed the semifinals, foretold an unexpected pitcher for the final match against the United States.
Japan decided to start left-hander Shota Imana in the long-awaited final of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held at Londipo Park in Miami, Florida, on the 22nd at 8:00 am (Korean time).
While the U.S. has yet to make an official announcement, right-hander Merrill Kelly is likely to be mentioned.온라인바카라
Reporter Bob Nightingale of USA Today said right after Japan’s dramatic semi-final match against Mexico on the 21st, “Japan announced that it would start Imanaga, not Yu Darvish or Shohei Otani, against the United States in the WBC final,” adding, “It’s very interesting.” said.
However, it is difficult to see that the starting pitcher in the finals is of great significance. After sending Imanaga as a starter, Japan is very likely to send Otani or Darvish at any time if the situation is at stake.
Ohtani and Arvish recorded 4 hits and 2 runs in 4⅔ innings, 2 hits and 1 run in 2 innings, respectively, against Italy in the quarterfinals on the 16th. After that, it seems that there is no problem physically because it is a mound after a 5-day break.
After finishing the semifinals that day, Ohtani said, “I am mentally prepared.
Imanaga, the main starter for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars, took the mound in 21 games last season and threw 143⅔ innings, recording 11 wins and 4 losses, an average ERA of 2.26, 132 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 0.940. On June 7, against the Nippon Ham Fighters, he even achieved a no-hitter. He is a veteran who debuted in 2016 and posted a career record of 57 wins and 46 losses and an average ERA of 3.24.
In this WBC, he pitched in relief in two games, giving up three hits and one run in four innings. He struck out five and allowed no walks. ERA 2.25. In the game against Korea, he took the mound following Darvish and struck out 3 runs with 3 hits in 3 innings. In particular, in the Korean game, Park Gun-woo hit a solo home run with superiority in the 6th inning. In this tournament, the fastball recorded a maximum of 96.2 miles and an average of 94.8 miles, and the ability to use breaking balls such as sliders, splitters, cutters, and curveballs is also excellent.
Arizona Diamondbacks second starter Kelly started 33 games last season and recorded 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA and 177 strikeouts. In this WBC, he started against Colombia on the 16th Group C League and gave up 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 innings and allowed 2 runs. He threw 61 pitches, had a fastball velocity of 93.5 mph and an average of 92.6 mph. The final is the first appearance in 6 days.
Like Japan, the U.S. is expected to engage in an all-out war on the mound. David Bednar, Devin Williams, Jason Adam, Ryan Presley, and other major league bullpens stand by.
