Justin Verlander (40), the “joint ace” of the New York Mets of the American professional baseball team, made a perfect pitch in the third demonstration game.
In an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals held in Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA on the 16th (hereinafter Korean time), Verlander recorded 8 strikeouts in 5 starting innings and blocked one hit and no run.
Verlander, who previously gave up 2 hits and 1 run in 3 innings in an exhibition game against the Miami Marlins on the 5th and 3 hits and 1 run in 3⅓ innings against the Houston Astros on the 11th, perfectly improved his condition in the third demonstration game.
“He knows responsibility (as an ace),” said Mets manager Buck Showalter, who evaluates Verlander as a “perfectionist.”
“It’s always nice to play against a guy like Verlander,” said St. Louis coach Oliver Marmall. “It’s just nice to see how he prepares and throws.”
However, Verlander himself expressed regret over his pitching.
Verlander,안전놀이터 who used fast balls, curveballs, sliders, and changeups on the day, said, “The results are not important in the demonstration game.”
Verlander was hit in the calf by a ball hit by St. Louis lead batter Alec Burrelson in the top of the second inning, but it was reported that there was no major problem.
The match was lost 1-4 as the Mets mound collapsed after Verlander went down.
The 40-year-old Verlander suffered Tommy John surgery in September 2000 and missed the entire 2021 season.
However, Verlander, who recorded 18 wins and 4 losses and an ERA of 1.75 in 28 games last year, led Houston to the World Series championship and won the Cy Young Award for the third time in his career.
Verlander, who signed a two-year contract with the Mets for $86.66 million (approximately 112 billion won) after last season, builds a ‘two-headed carriage’ with Max Scherzer to challenge the championship once again.