“The most obvious thing is that my body is different this year than it was last year. This year, I prepared myself to be a starter from the beginning of the season.”
Brandon Waddell, who joined the Doosan Bears for the second year in a row as an alternate foreign pitcher, is on pace to write his own U-turn success story. With an ERA of 0.90 and three consecutive quality starts, he is on track to have a “real” season in the KBO.
On the 6th against Pohang Samsung Electronics, Brandon completely shut down the Samsung bats with 7 innings of 4-hit ball, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts, and 1 run. With the exception of one run on a hard-hit infield single, Brandon dominated the Samsung offense for almost the entire game and never had to worry about anything.
Last year, Brandon filled in for Ariel Miranda, going 5-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 11 games. This season, he’s been even better than last year, filling in for Dylan Pyle.
With a 1-1 record and a 0.90 ERA in three games, he has established himself as a solid first-line ace. In all three of his starts this season, he has gone at least six innings and allowed two earned runs or less. Two of those three games were QS+ outings of 7 innings or less.
At this rate, the $280,000 (roughly $367,000) paid for Brandon over Dillon seems like a bargain. With so many pitchers making close to or over $1 million who are struggling or already being replaced, Brandon’s value is even more impressive.
Here’s my one-on-one with Brandon, who has been a solid outside ace in just three games.
How did you feel about your first win back in Korea?
Of course it feels good. Just knowing that I went out there and worked hard and in a way created a chance for the team to win, so it feels good in that sense.
You pitched well in the first two games but didn’t win.
I wasn’t disappointed. That’s just the way baseball is. My job is to go out there and pitch as many innings as I can without giving up any runs. As long as I do my job, I’m happy.
On his KBO-leading 11 strikeouts
I think I kept getting strikes and putting myself in favorable situations in the count, so I had a good chance of striking out in those situations. I wasn’t worried about the strikeout record, I just kept throwing my pitches and focusing on the strike zone.
What was your game plan?
I tried to change up my fastball, and being able to throw multiple pitches in the strike zone is an ability, so I knew I had to use it to my advantage. My strategy was to vary my fastball with off-speed pitches and throw my slider and cutter aggressively into the strike zone.
You’re joining the team as a substitute for the second year in a row, what’s different this year?
I would say the biggest difference between last year and this year is my physical condition. Last year, I was a bullpen pitcher and then I came to Korea and needed time to build my body as a starter and get used to the KBO. This year, I’ve been working on my body as a starter since the offseason, and I had experience because I pitched in the KBO last year, so this year I’m just pitching with the idea of ‘just throwing my pitches’. I think that’s the biggest difference.토토사이트
In my last interview last year, I remember saying, ‘I want to be with Doosan in 2023. I’m sure it’s a special feeling to realize that wish even though it’s late.
Of course, I’m very happy to be back, and I’m very happy to be back with Doosan. It’s simple now. I’m going out there and thinking, ‘Let’s stick to my mission’ and ‘Let’s just do my job’.
Compared to last year’s Doosan, this year’s Doosan is aiming for a higher position. How are you preparing for fall baseball?
It’s only halfway through the season, so I can only say this. At this point, I can’t confirm whether or not we’re going to play fall baseball, but our players have a ‘must win’ mentality in every game. So I think as a result of that, we will be able to play fall baseball.