Coach was booed by the home crowd after replacing the starting pitcher with 70 pitches and no runs: “I know it’s an unpopular decision, but…”

 The starting pitcher, who had 9 strikeouts and no runs, was replaced after 70 pitches. There was a reason for this decision, which was even booed by the home crowd. 메이저사이트

Arizona won Game 3 of the 2023 Major League Postseason National League Championship Series (NLCS, best of 7) held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on the 20th (Korean time) with a 2-1 walk-off victory. One win in the counterattack brought the series record to 1 win and 2 losses. 

The key player in the victory was Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with 1 RBI, including a walk-off hit in the 9th inning, but starting pitcher Brandon Pott could not be left out. Although he did not become the winning pitcher because he did not receive batting support, he pitched well in 5⅔ innings, allowing 2 hits, no walks, 9 strikeouts, and no runs. 

Philadelphia’s Kangta-sun, who showed off his firepower by hitting three home runs each against Arizona’s one-two punches Jack Gallen and Merrill Kelly in the first and second games of the NLCS, was pinned down by rookie pot. After hitting a double from Brandon Marsh with one out in the 4th inning, he hit 10 consecutive batters until 2 outs in the 6th inning. 

The sweeper was powerful, focusing on a four-seam fastball with a maximum speed of 95.2 miles (153.2 km) and an average speed of 93.6 miles (150.6 km). However, with no runners on base and two outs in the sixth inning, Arizona coach Torrey Lovullo went on the mound and announced a replacement pitcher. Although the number of pitches was only 70, replacements were made quickly. 

In an official interview after the game, Coach Lovullo said of Pott’s replacement, “I thought that at some point in the game, I could see an advantage against the heavy hitters by handing the ball to the next pitcher,” and “I know it’s a very unpopular decision, but we had information and a roadmap for what the best decisions would be with limited emotions and stimuli. “It has moved in that direction,” he explained. 

Coach Lovullo continued, “If we were winning 9-0, Pot would have thrown about 15 to 18 more pitches. But that wasn’t the case, and he felt it was time to make a replacement,” he said. “Pot was amazing. “It was noticeable that a young player showed a very high level of pitching on such a big stage,” he said. 

When the pot was changed, there were boos at Chase Field’s home stadium. “I was probably the most unpopular person in Arizona,” said Coach Lovullo. “I want people to know that there is a strategy. There is a strategy for everything. I do analysis, but I also know how quickly baseball can change in the playoffs. Since the pot was doing well, I thought it was time to replace it. I’m ready to be booed. Be prepared to be suspicious. That’s my job. “It doesn’t matter as long as I can win,” he said. 안전놀이터

Although the Arizona bullpen allowed a point in the 7th inning by Andrew Salfrank (1/3 inning, 1 run), Ryan Thompson (1st inning), Kevin Zinkel (1st inning), and Paul Seawald (1st inning) blocked the game well without allowing any additional runs. Coach Lovullo’s decision was also successful as the batting line immediately tied the score in the 7th inning and then won with Marte’s walk-off in the 9th inning. 

In Game 3 of the division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 12th, Pat pitched well in 4⅓ innings, allowing 2 hits, no walks, 2 strikeouts, and no runs, but was replaced after 42 pitches. There is data showing a sharp increase in hitting percentage (.397) and OPS (1.193) when facing batters for the third time this year. Taking this into consideration, Manager Lovullo is making quick changes to the batting order after two rotations. Following the Dodgers game, the team also won the game against Philadelphia that day, and the early pot replacement game can be considered a winning formula.

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