“I think it’s a big part of the evolution of the KBO.”
The NC Dinos’ Eric Peddy is arguably the best ace in the league right now. The Dinos had to say goodbye to Drew Ruchinski, who led the team to 53 wins over the past four seasons, but they’re smiling at Pedi’s performance.
In fact, Peddy has made a name for himself in the major leagues. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the first overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. He was part of the team’s starting rotation when they won the World Series in 2019 and again in 2022. In 102 career major league games (88 starts), he is 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in 454.1 innings pitched.
In the KBO after a stellar career in the majors, Peddy is cruising this season with a 17-6 record, 2.28 ERA, and 160 strikeouts in 24 games, 142.1 innings pitched. He has a .214 batting average, a 1.03 strikeouts per nine innings allowed, and 16 quality starts (six innings or less).
He currently ranks first in wins, first in ERA, and second in strikeouts. She is close to winning the pitching triple crown, which requires winning the ERA, wins, and strikeouts. With strikeout leader Ahn Woo-jin out for the season due to injury, Pedi’s chances of moving into the top spot have increased. The gap to third-place Doosan Alcantara (141 strikeouts) and fourth-place KT Benjamin (131 strikeouts) is quite large.
If he achieves it, he will be the fourth all-time, behind Sun Dong-yeol (1986, 1989-1991), Ryu Hyun-jin (2006), and Yoon Seok-min (2011). It would be the first ever for a foreign player.
If he keeps up his current form, he’ll have plenty of competition. Hanwha Eagles center fielder Noh Si-hwan is the man to beat. Noh has been in full bloom this season. In 112 games, he’s batting .296 with 130 hits, 30 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 72 runs scored.
If he reaches triple digits and 100 RBIs, he will become the second-youngest player in history to hit 30-30-30 and 100 RBIs, joining Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop, who hit .329 with 32 homers and 114 RBIs at age 21 in 1997.
However, he will be out of action for more than two weeks as he competes in the Hangzhou Asian Games at the end of the season, and opposing batsmen could overtake him on the leaderboard.
What does his coach, Kang Myung-hwa, think?
“If he keeps up his pace and wins 20 games, I think the odds are better for him, but I think the odds are better for the pitcher,” Kang said.
“Noh Si-hwan is also doing well. So I don’t know who’s going to win, but I think Pedi has shown something special by pulling through a season. I think he showed a big role in the development of the KBO League, and I think that can be a reference.”스포츠토토
On August 31, Pedi struggled against the Gwangju KIA Tigers, giving up seven runs on eight hits in three innings. It looked like he might have lost a bit of velocity, but he bounced back. On Aug. 5, he pitched seven innings of two-hit ball against the Changwon Kiwoom Heroes, striking out 11 and walking none.
Manager Kang Myung-ho said, “Against Kiwoom, he pitched like Pedi. The pitch itself was similar to the one against KIA, but he had good command of the type of pitch he wanted to throw. He threw the way he thought.”