Keuchel took the mound as a starting pitcher in an away game against the Softbank Hawks during the 2024 NPB regular season at the Mizuho Paypay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan on Thursday, and allowed three hits, two walks, three strikeouts and two runs in five innings. The Chiba Lotte Giants beat the Softbank 5-2 by banking on three runs and a big inning in the eighth inning.
Keuchel, whose contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines was reported on April 30, made his first appearance in the NPB league. Keuchel struggled against the powerful Softbank batters from the first inning. He gave up his first hit with a double to Kenta Imamiya before losing a point due to Tatsuru Yanagimachi’s timely hit. With runners on second and one out, Keuchel gave up one more run after getting a double to Hotaka Yamakawa, the fourth batter who is leading in homers and RBIs in the Pacific League.
Keuchel, who gave up two runs first with three hits in the first inning, regained the prestige of being a Cy Young pitcher from the second inning. Keuchel, who had three outs in the third inning with a fly ball, a ground ball, and a strikeout, quickly grabbed two outs with a grounder to shortstop and a straight hit. He gave up a walk to Yanagimachi, who had a timely hit in the first inning, but managed to take revenge by striking out Yamakawa.
Keuchel, who was forced to leave the fourth inning with a fly ball, a ground ball, and a swing and miss strikeout, was on the verge of scoring a point with one out and second base due to a sacrifice bunt after allowing a walk to leadoff hitter Soichiro Ishizuka in the fifth inning. However, he did not falter, grounded out Naoki Sato to the second base, and treated Imamiya to a fly ball to the center field to end the fifth inning without losing a point.
Keuchel, who threw 73 pitches during five innings, left the mound in a 2-2 tie, and failed to record a win or loss. The Chiba Lotte Giants came from behind to win the game 5-2 at the top of the eighth inning with Gregory Polanco’s three-run double with the bases loaded with two outs.
Keuchel, who was drafted by the Houston Astros as the 221st overall pick in the seventh round of the 2009 MLB Rookie Draft, made his big league debut in 2012 and has thrown the ball on the MLB stage so far this year. He won the American League Cy Young Award with an outstanding performance of 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA in the 2015 season, and contributed to Houston’s World Series win in 2017.
Keuchel, who boasted a brilliant career, including a five-time AL Gold Glove award and a two-time All-Star selection, has become a journeyman after leaving Houston, going through the Atlanta Braves (2019), the Chicago White Sox (2020-2022), the Arizona Diamond and Texas Rangers (2022), the Minnesota Twins (2023), and the Milwaukee Brewers (2024) after leaving Houston. Released with a 5.40 ERA in four games for Milwaukee this season, he turned to the Japanese stage with a 103-92 record and a 4.04 ERA in 282 MLB games, and signed a contract with Chiba Lotte.
Keuchel, who entered Japan on the 10th, only pitched his first bullpen session on the 12th and made his NPB debut on the 17th without having time to play in the second division. Nevertheless, he received a passing score from the first game with two runs in five innings.토토사이트 모음
According to the Japanese media “Sports Hochi,” Keuchel said after the game, “I was a little nervous in the first inning because it was my debut match in Japan. Softbank’s batting lineup was in good condition, so it should have been a low control, but the ball floated high and gave up two runs. From the second inning, I was able to control the ball low, and I think I was able to make good use of my strengths,” adding, “I was surprised by the support of Chiba Lotte fans, and that support gave me a lot of strength above all else,” adding, “I want to contribute to the victory by throwing longer innings next time I take the mound.”