Unveiled foreign pitcher Tanner Tully (29, NC Dinos) confirmed both possibilities and points of improvement.
Tanner started in a home game against the Hanwha Eagles held at NC Park in Changwon on the 15th, and recorded 6 hits (2 homers), 4 strikeouts and 3 runs in 6 innings. 86 pitches (60 strikes). He was substituted in a 1-3 trailing situation, but as the score was tied 3-3, the losing pitcher requirement was removed. The match ended in a 3-3 draw after 12 extra innings.꽁머니
It was an interesting climb. Tanner was recruited as a substitute for Taylor Widener (now Samsung Lions) and entered the country on the 10th (based on visa issuance completion). It was the ‘secret weapon’ that NC, who was challenging fall baseball, chose after much thought. Before the game, NC coach Kang In-kwon said, “I only saw (Tanner’s pitching) bullpen pitching. It’s difficult to judge accurately because I didn’t pitch with 100% power, but it was similar to what I confirmed with the video.” I could see it with my own eyes. I’m not thinking about the number of pitches or the inning limit.”
In the game against Hanwha, joy and sorrow were evident. As expected of the team that mentioned that he was a pitcher, he did not have a single pitch. He mixed fastballs (34), sliders (29), change-ups (18), and curves (5) with a maximum speed of 144 km in the right place, taking away the timing of the hit. In particular, the angle of the slider was sharp. All four strikeouts were sliders. In the beginning of the 4th inning, he struck out Noh Si-hwan, who allowed a home run in the first inning, on a swing with a slider. It was also positive that he pitched at a fast tempo and increased the fielders’ concentration on the game. He played well by blocking the 3rd through 5th innings with three-way strikes in a row.
It’s not that he didn’t have any flaws. On this day, 4 out of 5 hits allowed were fastballs. Noh Si-hwan’s home run in the first inning and Williams’ two-run home run allowed in the top of the 6th inning against 1-1 were all fastballs. Since the velocity was not fast, the hitters responded quickly. After two laps of the batting order, the Hanwha players seemed to be adjusting to some extent. As I got used to the eyes, the number of fouls increased, and only 3 hits were collected in the 6th inning. All of them were the result of being attacked by ‘direct ball’.
After the game, Tanner said, “It was good to pitch in front of the fans and breathe with the teammates. Thanks to the help of the defenders, I was able to continue pitching while maintaining energy. Pitching was a new experience in a league with a different fan culture, I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately we ended up in a draw today, but I will do my best to lead the team to victory in the future.”