Asian major leaguers, who have the most wins in their career, are moving vigorously. However, No.3’s movements were veiled.메이저놀이터
Kenta Maeda (35, Minnesota Twins) started on the 24th (Korean time) in an away game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2023 Major League Baseball held at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 5 innings, 4 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks and 3 runs. He did not record a win or loss.
Maeda finally reached the final season of an 8-year, 25 million dollar (approximately 33.1 billion won) slave contract. After this season, he will be a free agent again, but he has recently had health issues. First of all, he underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2021 and missed the entire 2022 season. He had to rest all season as well with a triceps injury until he returned against the New York Yankees on April 27 and then the Detroit Tigers on June 24.
Meanwhile, the multiplier clock stopped completely. On August 15, 2021, after winning 59 career wins against the Tampa Bay Rays, he achieved his 60th career win in his return match. He took a whopping year and 10 months. Two months have passed since then, but only two wins have been added.
Victory doesn’t follow. He had an average ERA of 2.93 with 1 win and 1 loss in 5 games in July and 1 win and 1 loss with an ERA of 3.43 in 4 games in August. Even on this day, 5 innings and 3 runs is not a bad story. However, Seungwoon did not follow. In the major leagues, it is not easy to compete with a four-seam in the low 90s and a slower slider or splitter. Thorough timing fight is essential. As you can see from his career ERA in the second half of the 3-point range, he is not a style that is good at pitching the border line.
Anyway, after winning 10 wins in 2019, Maeda only added 15 wins over the past 4 years. With a total of 62 victories, he is third in the career of active Asian major leaguers and ninth in the career of Asian major leaguers. For a year and two months, he could not threaten Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays, 77 wins). Ryu Hyun-jin recently returned and added two wins, and the multiplier clock began to turn again.
The current Asian major leaguer with the most wins is Darvish Yu (San Diego Padres) with 103 wins. He racked up 16 wins last year, and he’s down the pace a little with eight wins this year. Still, he was guaranteed active service until 2028 as he received a six-year, $108 million extension this year. It is only a matter of time before he surpasses Park Chan-ho to become the most successful Asian major leaguer.
Ryu Hyun-jin and Maeda go side by side in the 2023-2024 FA market. At the age of 35-36, he also has a history of injury. The pitching style we aim for is also similar. Many say that Ryu Hyun-jin put more weight on staying in the major leagues than returning to Hanhwa this winter. If Maeda is not greedy for the duration and amount, there is a good chance he will remain in the major leagues with a 1-2 year contract.
Can Ryu Hyun-jin and Maeda reach 100 career wins in the major leagues? Darvish is certain, but Ryu Hyun-jin and Maeda are unclear. It is also true that it is time to put meaning into the material itself in the major leagues.