Albert Suarez (35, Baltimore Orioles), a Venezuelan right-hander who spent two years with the Samsung Lions of the KBO until last year, has begun an era of success in the major leagues. He won a start against three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (40-Texas Rangers).
Suarez started the Orioles' home opener against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on April 29 and pitched six innings of three-hit, no walks and two strikeouts in a quality start to lead the Orioles to a 2-1 victory. The Orioles improved to 52-30 (.634 winning percentage) and took over sole possession of first place in the American League East.
The game was dominated by Suarez. He shut down the Texas bats in the sixth inning with no outs. He threw 87 pitches, with a four-seam fastball (55) that topped out at 96.7 mph (155.6 km/h) and averaged 95.4 mph (153.5 km/h), along with a mix of changeups (17), cutters (10), and curveballs (5).
Scherzer bounced back, allowing two runs on four hits (one homer) and two walks with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, but he couldn't get any offensive support from Suarez and suffered his first loss of the season in just two games back from injury. 실시간 바카라사이트 After giving up a solo homer to Colton Kauser in the fourth inning to open the scoring, Scherzer gave up another run in the fifth on a Gunner Henderson single to right field with the bases loaded.
A year ago, it would have been unthinkable. Suarez, who was in his second KBO season with Samsung last year, suffered a 12-centimeter injury to his left calf on Aug. 6 when he slid into first base coverage in the first inning against the LG Twins in Daegu. It took him four weeks to recover, and Samsung, desperate for depth at the time, released Suarez to acquire Taylor Widener off waivers from the NC Dinos.
Suarez's performance last year was also disappointing, as he went 4-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 games (108 innings), down from a 6-8 record with a 2.49 ERA in 30 games (173⅔ innings) in 2022. Injuries were the deciding factor, but a drop in performance from his first year also contributed to his release.
Suarez, who left South Korea in dismal fashion, is now a starting pitcher in the major leagues. He started out on a minor league contract with Baltimore, but impressed in exhibition games. He didn't make the opening day roster, but an injury to a pitcher earned him a spot in the rotation in mid-April, and he worked his way up through the bullpen and into the starting rotation late last month.
In 17 games (10 starts – 59 1/3 innings) this season, he is 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts, and has become a fixture in Baltimore's starting rotation, which is in first place in the AL East. It's hard to call it a breakout season. He averages 95 mph (152.9 km/h) with a strong four-seam fastball and a decisive changeup that is holding batters to a .167 batting average.
As MLB.com noted after the game, “Suarez is only five years younger than Scherzer, but there is a much larger gap between them in terms of major league experience. However, the matchup between the two pitchers did not go as expected. “Suarez pitched six scoreless innings, shutting down Scherzer to lead Baltimore to a 2-1 victory.” “After six years away from the majors – Triple-A in 2018, Japan in 2019-2021 and South Korea in 2022-2023 – Suarez reinvented himself before coming to Baltimore this year. A fast four-seam fastball is the key to his success.
“He's a great pitcher, and there's always something to learn from him,” Suarez said. For me, it's a learning process, and when you watch a guy like Scherzer pitch, you can always learn something,” Suarez said humbly. Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said, “Suarez's fastball had life. He was sitting 95-96 miles per hour (152.9-154.5 kilometers per hour), and he had a couple of good changeups. His cutter had more movement than usual. He was really efficient for six innings, which is more than we could ask for.”
Suarez's six innings were his most this season and his first in eight years, since July 4, 2016, against the Arizona Diamondbacks while a member of the San Francisco Giants. “It's good to be able to last a little longer to help the bullpen,” Suarez said. I've been in the bullpen, so I know how it feels. I want to pitch as long as I can as a starter,” Suarez said.
