The San Francisco Giants added one more win with the veteran’s fighting spirit.
San Francisco beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California on the 28th (Korea Standard Time).
The win confirmed the lead in the final series of the season, going 80–81. Colorado is 43-118.
사진 확대 Verlander pitched six innings and two runs in the final game of the season. Photo = AP= Courtesy of Yonhap News
Lee Jung-hoo, who started in center field seven times, had no hits and two strikeouts in three times at bat. The batting average for the season dropped to 0.263.
The last at-bat was a shame. He took a 3-0 advantage count in the game with the changed pitcher Jimmy Hurget, and the fifth pitch at 3-1 was a missing ball, but referee Junior Valentine declared a strike. The sixth pitch also looked high, but the referee’s hand went up.
The crowd of 38,201 people who visited Oracle Park did not seem to agree with the referee’s idea. This would have been the same for Lee Jung-hoo.
The game was a pitching match. San Francisco starter Justin Verlander burned the final game of the season properly. He became the winning pitcher with five hits, two homers, one walk, seven strikeouts and two runs in six innings. Four wins (11 losses) in the season. He finished his 20th major league season with a 3.85 ERA.
사진 확대 Casey Schmidt turned the game around with a three-run home run. Photo = Getty Images/AFP= Courtesy of Yonhap News
He allowed home runs to Hunter Goodman in the first inning and Brenton Doyle in the second, but they were all solo home runs. In the fifth inning, left fielder Eliot Ramos missed Ezekiel Toba’s high fly ball in the sun, allowing a triple, but he handled the bases.
He targeted the opponent’s batters with four-seam fastballs (38%) and 86.1-mile sliders (24%), 77.8-mile curves (18%) and 81.9-mile sweepers (18%). He induced a total of 17 swings and misses, and the average speed of the opponent’s ball was only 87.3 miles.
Colorado starter Kyle Freeland also threw well. He recorded a quality start with three hits, one homer, one walk, four strikeouts, and three runs in six innings. He, who was sent off after an altercation after allowing Rafael Devers a home run in the last showdown, avenged his three showdowns with Devers by finishing with two fly ball outs and a strikeout.
사진 확대 Schmidt hit a come-from-behind three-run home run. Photo = AP= Courtesy of Yonhap News
One swing changed the flow. In the second inning, with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, Casey Schmidt hit a three-run home run over the middle fence and quickly turned the tables.
After that, the San Francisco batters, who failed to create any opportunities, took a late breath in the eighth inning. Colorado center fielder Doyle tried to catch a line drive hit by Devers with a diving catch with two outs and a runner on first base, and Andrew Kezner, who was on first base in the meantime, came home and scored additional points.
This extra point was important. Ryan Walker, who came up to wrap up the ninth inning, allowed Jordan Beck to hit a solo home run. Walker was uneasy. Doyle allowed a double to right field, then walked Kyle Carros and eventually went down the mound.
Spencer Bivens, who took over the crisis with one out and runners on the first and third bases, struck out Warm Burnabel, but held Ryan Ritter to two strikes and sent him out with a pitch, putting him on the verge of a bases-loaded jam.
In the subsequent match against Toba, he ended the game by catching Toba with a foul fly to the third baseman. Third baseman Matt Chapman threw himself into the net and made the final catch to wow the crowd.
[San Francisco (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]