Last night, the LG Twins defeated the Doosan Bears 10-3. But a familiar face made his KBO debut last night. Former MLB starter/reliever Elieser Hernandez debuted for the LG Twins, throwing five innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, and striking out seven batters.
The one earned run that Hernandez allowed was to former MLB player Jared Young, who crushed his third home run since joining the Bears. Hernandez fired 78 pitches and only walked one batter while recording his first KBO victory.
Hernandez, 29, was born in Venezuela, where he has thrown across six major league seasons with the Marlins, Dodgers, and Brewers. He last took an MLB mound just this season, when he started the seasons with the Dodgers. He struggled with the Dodgers, making one start in 5 appearances and posting an 8.38 ERA. He was then claimed off waivers by the Brewers, throwing in four games, posting a 3.00 ERA, throwing six innings, and striking out two batters. He signed with the LG Twins about two weeks ago.
Another name that will be making his return to the KBO is pitcher Eric Jokisch. He made his MLB Debut in 2014, throwing in 4 career games with the Chicago Cubs. He would then become a minor-league journeyman, throwing seasons in the Cubs, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Athletics organizations. Jokisch pitched in 5 seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes from 2019-2023. The 34-year-old has posted a career 56-36 record, recording a 2.85 ERA in 131 starts and striking out 592 batters in over 700 innings of work. He recently signed with the NC Dinos, as they released former big leaguer Daniel Castano. Jokisch is scheduled to make his first start of the 2024 season with the Dinos tomorrow.
The NC Dinos will face the LG Twins, with Jokisch scheduled for his first appearance. The Twins will send out Im Chan-kyu to face him. We will see how Jokisch performs in his season debut and if he can help the NC Dinos break their current two-game losing streak.
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WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/
Photo Credit: Elieser Hernández #52 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park on May 15, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)