NC foreign pitcher Eric Peddy (30), who is bombing the KBO league, takes off his hat every time he gets on the mound in every game. He receives the ball while bowing politely to the referee in charge of the referee.
On the 30th of last month, against Hanwha in Daejeon, he apologized to the hitter after four balls. It was after throwing a ball that hit Hanwha batter Choi Jae-hoon in the second inning. Peddie, who recorded his first four ball since his KBO League debut, bowed his head to apologize as he watched Choi Jae-hoon go to first base.
Compared to the United States, the relationship between seniors and juniors in Korea is stricter, and the culture of observing etiquette on the pitch is deeply rooted. Clubs often train foreign players in this regard, but it is up to the player to follow the culture. It is no longer unfamiliar to see foreign players respecting and copying Korean culture, and Pedi is one of those players.
“If you go to Rome, you have to do as the Romans do,” said Peddy. As much as he came to Korea, he respects and learns the culture here. When he first came to Korea, he did what he was taught to do good on the baseball field,” he said. He tries to blend into the culture enough to say “thank you” and “nice to meet you” in Korean to reporters.
Pedy’s good manners in Korean style stand out even more as he is a ‘big man’ who played an active role as a full-time 5th starter in the major leagues until last year. In the 2014 draft, he was a top prospect who was nominated by the Washington Nationals with the 18th overall pick in the first round, and he started all 27 major league games (127 innings) last year.
He was 6-13 with an ERA of 5.81 as the 5 starter of the rebuilding team, and his performance was disappointing, but he did not expect that he would come to Korea immediately after receiving the FA qualification. Peddy, who signed with NC for the KBO new foreign player cap of $ 1 million in December last year, emerged as the best pitcher in the KBO league within a month of opening as a ‘active big leaguer’ down class.
He pitches 38 innings in 6 games and is a dominant pitcher with 4 wins, 1 loss, an earned run average of 0.47, 48 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.89. 1st place in ERA, 1st place in most wins, 2nd place in strikeouts/innings, 3rd place in WHIP. The KBO’s official record company, Sports Two Eye, also has a WAR of 2.12, which ranks first among all pitching. 스포츠토토
He induces countless ground balls with a cutter at an average of 148km two-seam, and uses a sweeper that curves outward for right-handed hitters and a falling changeup for left-handed hitters as the deciding ball. He has established himself as an impregnable pitcher that is difficult for batters to attack, thanks to his high degree of perfection in breaking balls, good command, and good pitching tempo.
Peddy, who dominated the opening month of April, said, “I don’t think there could be a better start. I prepared well even in the off-season, and it was thanks to the fact that I threw the four pitches I had at the signature of catcher Park Se-hyuk in every game. The NC club is also providing a lot of support, so I am doing well without any difficulties in my life in Korea.”
Since he is doing so well, people are already saying that he will return to the major leagues next year. “I hear that kind of talk a lot,” said Peddy with a laugh. I won’t be complacent about grades now. Rather than trying to do better, I will do my best to maintain my current pace.”