‘KBO’s first perfect game + first complete game of the season’…8 innings of no-hit, 1-hit ball “I want to use this energy for fall baseball…
“I’ll use this energy for fall baseball.”
Wes Benjamin (KT Wiz) started the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Wednesday and pitched eight innings of one-hit ball to improve to 15-5 on the season.
Benjamin was flawless on the day. He didn’t allow a single runner to reach base from the first through the sixth innings. He struck out seven batters through the sixth inning to cook the SSG bats. SSG sent eight batters to the plate in the starting lineup, all right-handed except for Choi Ji-hoon, who batted first, but they were unable to capitalize.
Benjamin’s perfect game was broken in the seventh inning. He got Choi Ji-hoon to fly out to center and Kim Kang-min to fly out to right, but gave up a double to Choi Jung. He then got Guillermo Heredia to ground out to second base to end the inning. He pitched the eighth inning and came off the mound after getting a triple play to end the inning.
Benjamin threw a total of 103 pitches on the day. He mixed a four-seam fastball (44 pitches), cutter (34 pitches), slider (19 pitches), changeup (5 pitches), and curveball (1 pitch). His fastball topped out at 150 km/h. Of his 103 pitches, he threw 76 for strikes.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Benjamin said, “I felt really good overall. ”It was good to have the same game plan as Jang Jang-woo and it paid off. ”Even better than that, we have to travel to Changwon, so it’s great to get a good win ahead of the away game.”
Benjamin was also conscious of perfection. ”Actually, I was conscious of perfection in the fourth or fifth inning, but it didn’t put any pressure on me. It actually made me calm down and think that I can do more,” he said, adding, “I could have pitched a perfect game, but I was very disappointed.”
Choi’s hit that broke Benjamin’s perfect game was the only SSG hit of the game. In a 2B2S situation, a four-seam fastball was thrown toward the body and slightly driven up the middle. Choi couldn’t miss it and hit it down the left field line. After Benjamin got Heredia to ground out to second base, he headed down to the dugout and had a brief conversation with Choi.
“I had a good pitch that went in,” Benjamin said of the situation, “but I lost a little bit of velocity, so I couldn’t get it deeper, and I got hit by a guy with a good swing. Choi apologized, but I told her she didn’t need to apologize. It’s natural for her to get hit, so I showed her respect,” he said.
Benjamin, who threw 103 pitches through the eighth inning, handed the baton to closer Kim Jae-yoon in the bottom of the ninth with a 3-0 lead. He could have gotten his first complete game of the season, but he didn’t push himself too hard and looked forward to his next appearance.메이저놀이터
He said, “I was aiming for a complete game. I wanted a perfect game and a no-hitter, but the manager came and said, ‘Don’t push yourself,'” he said. “I thought it was better to use this energy in the postseason. I wanted it, but I restrained myself.”