Lions ace Paddack says ready to sacrifice body for Korean Series start
In his professional career that began 11 years ago, Chris Paddack had never made a start on three days' rest until last week, when he pitched in Game 4 of the second round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason for the Samsung Lions last Friday. He had tossed 94 pitches in a 5-1 loss against the Kia Tigers four days earlier. But with the Lions short on starting pitchers and sitting a…
Chris Paddack, a veteran starting pitcher for the Samsung Lions, has made history by starting a game with just three days' rest. This is the first time in his 11-year professional career that he has done so, as he recently pitched in Game 4 of the second round of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason for the Lions last Friday.
Despite tossing 94 pitches in a 5-1 loss against the Kia Tigers four days prior, Paddack was called upon by manager Park Jin-man to start Friday's game after the Lions found themselves short on starting pitchers and one win away from advancing to the Korean Series.
Paddack's effort paid off as he held the Tigers to a run on six hits over 5 1/3 innings while facing 99 pitches. However, the Lions' 2-1 lead was ultimately lost in a 4-2 defeat, but they bounced back the following day to secure a spot in the Korean Series against the KT Wiz. Paddack is set to take the mound for the second game of the Korean Series on Wednesday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, following the Lions' 8-7 loss to the KT Wiz on Tuesday.
Although the four days of rest will be better than the three days he typically gets, it is still not ideal for the 30-year-old right-hander.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
