(BUSAN) – NC Dinos foreign pitcher Taylor Widener, who has yet to make his KBO debut after leaving the lineup with a herniated disk during a professional baseball exhibition game, successfully completed his final checkup in the Futures (second team) 스포츠토토 League.
Widener started against the Samsung Lions in the Futures League on April 23 and pitched six innings of one-hit ball with two walks and three strikeouts.
It was his second consecutive strong outing, as he pitched three innings of one-hit ball with one walk and six strikeouts against the Goyang Heroes on the 18th, his first appearance in the Futures League.
“I watched Widener’s pitching broadcast,” said NC manager Kang Myung-hyun before the team’s game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan, “and it was much more stable than his first appearance.”
“I saw him throwing a lot of pitches, including changeups and sliders, and I think he’ll be able to show his full potential when he gets to the first team,” he added.
Widener will make his first-team debut on April 28 against the Hanwha Eagles in Changwon.
“He doesn’t have a lot of pitches, but he’s the type of pitcher who overwhelms batters with his pitches,” Kang said, “and I highly value his ability to strike out. He has his own form, so I think he will do a good job.”
Another foreign pitcher, Eric Peddie, is the ace for NC, which has replaced both of its foreign pitchers this season.
With his sweeper, Peddy is 7-1 with a 1.63 ERA in nine starts.
With the addition of Widener, NC will have a solid starting rotation of Koo Chang-mo, Shin Min-hyuk, and Lee Yong-joon.