Baek Earns First Complete-Game Victory

While the ‘Big League Trio,’ Park Chan-ho (34) of the New York Mets, Colorado’s Kim Byung-hyun (28), and Seo Jae-eung (30) of Tampa Bay are slumping, Seattle’s right-hander Baek Cha-seung (27) recorded his first win with an impressive complete-game victory.

At an away game against Detroit on May 10, Baek made his fourth start of the season and finished the nine-inning game, surrendering six hits and two runs. Having steady control of the ball, he did not allow any walks and managed four strikeouts. Among his 112 pitches, 77 were strikes.

Baek is the third Korean pitcher to win a complete-game victory following Park Chan-ho, who has a total of 10 complete-game victories, and Kim Sun-woo (30, San Francisco), who won a complete-game victory in 2005.

The start of the game was not good for Baek, however. In the first inning, he allowed Detroit’s first batter, Curtis Granderson, a home run. In the second inning, the leadoff batter, Carlos Guillen, hit a triple, which was followed by a bunt to cause Baek to yield another run. Seattle was trailing 0-2 at that point, but the tables were turned in the fourth inning when Jose Guillen hit a three-run home run. With a lighter load on his shoulders, Baek retired three batters in the sixth inning with consecutive strikeouts, and in the seventh inning, he caused the three batters to go out in quick order again, striking out one.

Seattle added three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, winning the match 9-2 ending Detroit’s nine-game win streak. Seattle’s manager Mike Hargrove showed satisfaction, saying, “Baek Cha-seung was awfully good tonight after he got past the first two innings.”

Baek, who graduated from Busan High School and joined Seattle in 1998, made his debut in the major leagues in August, 2004, and up until last year recorded a total of six wins, five losses and an earned run average of 4.86.

Baek Cha-seung started this season in the minor leagues but was recalled to the big leagues on April 24 due to an injury to ace Felix Hernandez. Baek was the starting pitcher in three previous games but did not finish and was not credited with a win or loss. In a match against the New York Yankees on May 5, he gave up seven runs in a 3 2/3-inning outing.

With Hernandez returning on May 16, Seattle must send either Baek Cha-seung or Jeff Weaver back down to the minor leagues. Weaver’s salary is more than 8 million dollars a year, and currently has a record of five losses and an earned run average of 15.35.

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