Injury to opening match elimination… Luchinski, ‘American Dream’ is far away
- allforyouclick
- 0
- on Mar 26, 2023
Drew Luchinski (35, Oakland), who was on the verge of starting the opening game from the first season after returning to the major leagues (MLB) from the KBO League. However, it is now unclear whether he will join the opening rotation.
Oakland announced on the 25th (Korean time), “We have dropped left-hander Kyle Mueller (26) as the starting pitcher for the team opening game of the 2023 season.” Mueller will face off against Shohei Ohtani (29) in a match against the Los Angeles Angels on the 31st.
Mueller, who transferred from Atlanta in exchange for the trade of “Gold Glove catcher” Sean Murphy (29) ahead of this season, is a player who has not yet reached his full potential. After debuting in the big leagues in 2021, he made only 12 appearances (3 wins, 5 losses, 5.14 ERA) in 2 seasons. Such a player was selected as a starter for the opening match.
This is because Oakland’s starting lineup has been devastated. Oakland, a small market, has sent pitchers from the 1st to 3rd starting pitchers to other teams over the past few seasons, and even before this season, Cole Irvin (29), the only regular innings pitcher in the team last year, was sent to Baltimore. In addition, right-hander Paul Blackburn (30), who was selected as an All-Star last year, suffered a broken fingernail injury during an exhibition game, making it difficult for him to match his pace before the opening game.
At the same time, the existence of Luchinski, who signed a contract with Oakland for up to 8 million dollars (about 10.4 billion won) for 1 + 1 years ahead of this season, came to mind. Although the league is different, his recent starting experience is the richest스포츠토토. After joining the NC Dinos in 2019, he participated in 121 games over four seasons and recorded 53 wins and 36 losses with an ERA of 3.06. Last year, he threw 193⅔ innings and posted an earned run average of 2.97.
At the same time as joining, joining the starting rotation was a fait accompli, and only the order was the key. Likewise, Shintaro Fujinami (29), who came over from the Asian League, has never played more than 100 innings since 2017. Even James Kaprellian (29), who threw 134 innings last season, could not be considered stable.
Accordingly, In2DAce, which specializes in news from Oakland in the US Sports Illustrated, mentioned Luczynski as a starting pitcher for the opening game. He had the experience of appearing in the opener for three consecutive years in Korea, so he could have an advantage.
However, it was an injury that caught Luczynski’s ankle. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, the official website of the Major League Baseball, said on the 23rd, “Luczynski felt discomfort in his left hamstring and plans to skip one start.” It was also unclear whether he would join the opening game.
It was even more unfortunate because it was a situation where the pace was raised in the demonstration game. Luchinski, who recorded his first appearance on the 28th of last month against Colorado, allowed 6 hits and 3 runs in 2 innings. In the match against the Chicago White Sox on the 15th, Luczynski scored 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts and 2 runs in 5⅓ innings.
If he was in normal physical condition, he could have jumped into the competition as a starter for the opening game. However, the club has already dropped Muller, and now Luczynski is forced to consider whether he can play from the start of the season.