Hanwha foreign pitcher Felix Pena (33) ended his season on September 20 last year, when he was hit in the nose by opponent batter An Chi-hong’s assault ball in the 6th inning against Daejeon Lotte. His batted ball was so fast that there was no time to avoid it, and he had to undergo surgery due to a fractured nose.
Pena, who joined Hanwha as a substitute in July last year, recorded an average ERA of 3.72 with 5 wins and 4 losses in 13 games. It was regrettable that the season ended due to a sudden injury while improving his adaptability to the KBO league by fighting well with a 2.36 earned run average and 4 wins and 1 loss in the last 6 games. However, Hanwha has secured enough grounds for evaluation to renew the contract with Pena.
After the season, he re-signed with Pena for a total of $850,000. Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk said, “Pena has the advantage that there is almost no difference in speed between four-seam and two-seam fastballs. He topped 153 km in both pitches. He explained the reason, saying that 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings in the last 6 games (2nd in the league during the same period) will help our defense.”
Pena, who hoped to renew the contract during last season, said, “I have a lot of confidence in the Hanwha club. I got along well with my teammates, and it was a team that restored my confidence, so I decided to renew my contract.” “I have experienced Korean baseball for several months, and knowing and adapting to the contact skills and small ball style of batters helps me prepare for this season.” said.
As expected, Pena is picking up the pace smoothly in the spring camp practice. He played a total of three games against the Dutch WBC team in Arizona, USA, Lotte and KIA in Okinawa, Japan, and was selected as the camp pitcher MVP by fighting hard with 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts and 1 run in 7 innings. He maintained good condition with a fastball of 152 km in the United States and 151 km in two consecutive games in Japan. He is a foreign player, but the team’s expectations are reflected in the fact that he was exceptionally awarded the camp MVP.
Last year, he also overcame the shock of a sudden nasal bone fracture. “I was very scared when I was injured. However, as you can see from throwing the ball like this now, I have recovered well,” said Pena, who laughed and recalled, “I wanted to play with the team until the end of the season (after the injury) and stayed without leaving the country.” Pena, who underwent a fractured nasal bone fixation procedure, also showed the team spirit of digesting the rest of the season schedule for the remaining three weeks. 카지노사이트
Hanwha is raising hopes of getting out of last place by immediately recruiting a large number of power players through free agents and trades in the offseason. “I expect to do better than last year,” Pena said. He trains in an atmosphere where the entire team is united and is moving in the right direction. I think I can win a lot this year.” I really want to win while I’m at Hanwha,” he said.
As he experienced Korean baseball and culture first, he gives various tips to new foreign pitcher Birch Smith. Pena said, “Smith was also in Japan last year, and baseball will be similar. He also recommends Korean food while discussing ball combinations suitable for the KBO league. He recommends ‘OO Chicken’ as the best,” he laughed.