Kiwoom Heroes starting pitcher Ariel Furado led his team to a one-run victory.
Kiwoom won its third straight game 스포츠토토 against the KIA Tigers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome on Wednesday, 1-0, behind a six-inning no-hitter from starter Furado and a game-winning RBI single from Russell, to extend its winning streak to three games dating back to the 11th against KT. Kiwoom (26-1, 34) moved to within 0.5 games of seventh-place Samsung (25-32).
Making his 13th start of the season, Hurado pitched six innings of three-hit ball, striking out four and walking one to earn his fourth win of the season and first in seven games since May 3 against Samsung. It was his ninth quality start of the season, tied for second in the league, and lowered his ERA from 3.10 to 2.86. His ERA is third on the team and ninth in the league.
In fact, Hurtado has been a solid part of the team’s starting rotation this season, but hasn’t had much luck. Prior to today, he had a record of 3-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 games. Since his last start against Samsung on March 3, he has lost four of his last six games despite four quality starts.
The team has been unlucky not to have much run support. Until this day, the team’s run support is 2.98, the lowest in the league. The team always said, “I’m sorry for Furado,” which was a valid apology. On the 13th, the team scored only one run, but Hurado pitched his first no-hitter to protect the small, precious one-run lead.
After the game, Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said, “Furado pitched a perfect game until the sixth inning. He pitched like an ace, shutting down the opposing batters without allowing a run, and played a big role in our victory today.” He praised Furado and called him an ‘ace’. He expressed his gratitude for his consistent pitching, not minding the lack of wins.
“Run support is a part of baseball that we can’t control. My job is to create chances for the team to win. I try to do my job as well as I can. It was more of a mindset of playing a good game than a mindset of protecting a point. I was focused on contributing to the win. I’m glad the team won,” he said of his first win in a long time.
“As a pitcher, your goal is to keep your ERA low. There’s still a lot of time left in the season, so I’m going to work hard in the remaining games and keep up the good work. Major League Baseball throws a lot of high fastballs, but Korean baseball seems to work well with grounders, so I’m working on a lower pitch,” he said.
