Chris Sale (34, Boston) and Madison Bumgarner (34, Arizona) are left-handed pitchers who have been selected as a major league special selection for their respective strengths. Sale rose to the top with his overwhelming strikeout ability, and Bumgarner made a name for himself as a strong ‘strong heart’ in the fall throughout the league.
However, the careers of the two players 메이저사이트are on a steep downhill in their 30s. There were more days when Sale was unable to play at all due to overlapping elbow injuries. He only started in 9 games in 2021 and 2 last year. It is a big disappointment for Boston, who thought of him as an ace and hired him through trade, then gave him a multi-year contract.
Bumgarner is no different. It’s been downhill since moving to Arizona in 2020. He invested $90 million over 5 years, but he has never posted an earned run average in the 3-point range over 3 years. He has never suffered a long-term injury, but his ERA of 4.88 in 30 games last year comes out with a sigh.
The two players are also anxious about starting this year. On the 2nd (Korean time), they made their first start of the season side by side, but all were sluggish. I tried to start off with something strong, but I couldn’t.
Sale started in the home game against Baltimore at Fenway Park, but struggled with 7 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts and 7 runs in 3 innings, including only 3 home runs. He still had the ability to strike out, but the command didn’t work out the way he had hoped. In a situation where the pitch was not as good as before, the balls driven in the middle became a good prey for Baltimore hitters.
Bumgarner also suffered his first loss of the season with 4 hits (1 home run), 4 walks, 2 strikeouts and 5 runs in 4 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 2nd. He stabbed corners here and there with restraints that did not come out, but only walks increased. He lasted less than 5 innings and even his old reputation as a ‘Dodgers killer’ was overshadowed.
Whether it is a pitcher or a fielder, as his physical ability declines, his skills naturally decline. It is a flow that no one can go against. It’s a matter of how well you hold on to that skill. The player compared to the two players is Clayton Kershaw (35, LA Dodgers), who was the best left-hander of the time. Injuries are increasing, and I can’t throw 200 innings like before, but I’m maintaining the class itself.
Kershaw faced off against Bumgarner in the game against Arizona held at Dodger Stadium on the 2nd, and won his first win of the season with a pleasant counterattack with 4 hits (1 home run), 9 strikeouts and 1 run in 6 innings. Although his restraint was not as good as before, he perfectly blocked Arizona batters with his control and his breaking ball called the ‘Cooper Star Driving Curve’.
Kershaw cannot be free from the flow of time. He hasn’t filled a regulation inning since 2019. He only digested 121⅔ innings in 2021 and 126⅓ innings in 2022. Nobody expects more than 180 innings from Kershaw anymore. Injuries were too frequent.
However, even in the midst of that, there has never been a season where the average ERA exceeded 4.00. 3.55 in 2021 was the worst performance, and last year it recorded 2.28. When he can throw, he’s still as strong as ever. The Dodgers plan to manage Kershaw’s innings and physical condition, and use him as an ace card in important postseason games.