Nate Pearson (27), a top-class prospect who was once pointed out as the successor to Ryu Hyun-jin (36), drew attention once again by throwing a 101 mph (162 km) fastball in an exhibition game.
On the 3rd (hereinafter Korean time), Pearson made a relief mound in the 2023 Major League Pittsburgh Pirates exhibition game held at TD Ball Park in Dunedin, Florida, USA, recording 1 1/3 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and no runs.
Pearson took the mound as the second pitcher following starter Alec Manoa in the second inning when the bases were loaded with two outs, leading 1-0. His pitch faltered along with the mound, allowing Chris Owings to walk at the end of the 8-pitch game, but the follow-up corner group, a fastball with a slider and a curve, handled the shortstop ground ball and finished the inning without any additional runs.
The match against Kanan Smith-Zigba, the first hitter in the 3rd inning against 1-1, was impressive. He preempted the favorable count of 0B-2S and threw a 101 mph fastball on the 4th pitch, leading to a strikeout with a swing. Afterwards, he got a right-handed hit by Miguel Anduha, but returned Austin Hedges with a fly ball to left field and Jared Triolo with a fly ball to center field to end the inning.
Pearson passed the mound to Jordan Romano in the fourth inning, leading 2-1, and finished his second appearance in the exhibition game. Unlike the New York Yankees match on the 27th of last month, when he was shaken by 1 inning, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 1 run, he succeeded in his first scoreless run on this day with stable control of fastballs and breaking balls. 로켓 토토 The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Pearson is a super fastball prospect who was selected 28th overall in the first round by Toronto in the 2017 rookie draft. After his big league debut in the 2020 season, he was mentioned as a one-two punch candidate to succeed Ace Ryu Hyun-jin. The problem was injuries and relief. He suffered from various injuries such as elbow, groin, side, hernia, and mononucleosis, and spent the 2022 season only in the minor leagues due to a chronic difficulty in hunting for fastballs that faded his fastball over 100 miles.
Pearson decided to try again in the bullpen this year, his fourth year in the big leagues. The Toronto team judged that Pearson’s fastball would exert power from the back door while the starting lineup was saturated. The prospects are bright. It is still an exhibition game, but in the second game, he showed a stable breaking ball along with a fastball that did not rust, raising the possibility. Can Toronto’s sore finger show off his fastball this year and take off the tag of a promising player?