Anderson is a different person from maternity leave
Anderson is a different person from maternity leave
Blog Article
SSG's first starter Drew Anderson (31) came back to life. He completely shook off his initial slump. He also started against Kiwoom on the 26th and struck out 14 times during 6.1 innings, overwhelming the opponent's batters with no runs. 메이저사이트
Anderson's resurgence came after a maternity leave. He recently visited Hiroshima, Japan, where his Japanese wife is based. He went there for the first time on April 29, and after returning to Korea after his wife's childbirth was delayed, he met with his son who was born again on April 9.
While the birth of his first son was a pleasant surprise, his two "outs" while he was already off to a bad start to the season also raised some concerns about his condition. However, Anderson became a much more powerful pitcher after the maternity leave.
In the first two games of this season, Anderson allowed a total of nine runs (seven earned runs) in 8.2 innings. His performance was not good enough. Anderson, who threw 151 kilometers on average last season, pitched 140 kilometers in these two games where he performed poorly. His ball power was not the same as it was last year. SSG coach Lee Soo-yong also worried about Anderson's speed and deterioration of his ball power.
However, Anderson recovered his ball after visiting Japan. He recorded a maximum speed of 158 kilometers against LG on the 20th and struck out eight in 6.2 innings. He also threw a maximum of 156 kilometers at the match against Kiwoom on Sunday. Anderson's average speed for this season has jumped to 152.3 kilometers. He is faster than the previous season. He is the second in the league after Cody Ponce (152.9 kilometers) of the Hanwha Eagles.
As he regained his ball power, his performance naturally improved. During April, Anderson pitched four times and posted an ERA of 1.80 with 44 strikeouts during 25 innings.
It is no coincidence. Before departing for Japan, SSG provided feedback through its data team. The data team believes that Anderson's arm angle has decreased a bit compared to last year's good performance. If he raises his arm angle again, he will be able to regain his ball speed and pitching capability. His advice was simple. "Let's throw it like last year." Anderson went to Japan with the bullpen pitcher in his team. While taking care of his wife, he threw the ball at a training center near Hiroshima. He originally worked hard to find his form. Such effects have continued since he returned home.
Anderson is a powerful pitcher whose combination of fastball and curveball is powerful. He uses a high fastball to force the opponent to swing and miss with a vertical curve. However, SSG explained that the power of the fastball and curveball combination has been halved as the arm angle has gone down. As the fastball and curve were bent sideways, the vertical power decreased. From the opponent's point of view, it became easier to hit, and that contributed to the initial slump. However, as the arm angle was restored, the power of both the fastball and the curve was revived. He is reaping the fruits of his sweat to shake off his sluggishness even during the maternity leave period.