There are no awards handed out at the end-of-year ceremony. But for pitchers, there’s no better accolade. One of the “Innings Eaters” is the Quality Start (QS) category – pitching six or more innings and giving up three or fewer earned runs. In order to achieve many QS, a number of conditions are necessary. You need to have great command of your pitches and efficient pitch count management. You also need to have the stamina to maintain a consistent pace throughout the season. That’s why QS is the first goal of every pitcher in every start. Not only will it help them contribute to their team’s victory, but it will also improve their personal chances of winning.
Through the first half of the season, three KBO starters have accumulated the most QS: LG Twins’ Adam Plutko (32), KT Wiz’s Ko Young-pyo (32), and Doosan Bears’ Raul Alcantara (31). Together, they have 13 QS. They are followed by Kiwoom Heroes’ Ariel Hurado (27) and Ahn Woo-jin (24) with 12 and 11 respectively. There are four tied for fifth, including Ahn.
The first-half records of the three pitchers tied for first place are interesting. They faced the same 417 batters, but the details are different. Goh threw the fewest pitches. He threw a total of 1408 pitches and was the most economical. This is thanks to his aggressive approach. As a result, he has the highest batting average at 0.250. Alcantara has the lowest BABIP at 0.210, but his 1662 pitches are tied for the most among the leaders. Plutko has a 0.233 BABIP and 1604 pitches.
Two of these players, Alcantara and Ko Young-pyo, have already set the record for most QS in a season. Alcantara topped the list with 27 QS in 2020. Ko Young-pyo tied for first place in 2021 with 21, alongside Doosan’s Ariel Miranda and KT’s Odrisamer Despaigne. Last year, Ahn Woo-jin led the pack with 24 QS.토스카지노
Most of the pitchers at the top of the QS list are central to their respective starting rotations. They are all expected to start either the first or second game of the second half, which begins on the 21st. The intense race for the most QS will also resume. It will be interesting to see if any new faces emerge this season, or if the pitchers who have already topped the QS leaderboard on more than one occasion will once again be at the top of their game.