A Quality Start for Park Chan-ho

Mets’ Park Chan-ho (34) increased his possibility of reentering the major league by making a quality start, pitching more than six innings with less than three earned runs as a starter, yesterday.

At the home game of New York Mets’ minor league team (New Orleans AAA team) against Kansas City’s Omaha minors team on May 18, Park pitched six innings and allowed just two hits and four walks, but no runs. He stepped down from the mound while New Orleans was leading 4-0, but was not a winning pitcher as relief pitchers permitted run. However, Park improved his ERA from 6.67 to 5.45.

New Orleans won the game, 8-7.

After allowing only one walk in the first inning, Park had his first crisis in the second inning when Jorge Padilla hit on his pitch, which ended up as a grounder. With the first and second bases full in the fourth inning after allowing two walks, Park calmly overcame the crisis by allowing a fly (out) and a double-play grounder to the next hitters. He permitted another walk in the sixth inning but lost no runs. In the seventh inning, he stepped down when his team led, 4-0.

Park threw a total of 92 pitches, 52 for strikes. It was his first pitching with no runs earned since a game against Nashville on April 9.

In a game between Cleveland’s minor league team (Buffalo AAA) and Philadelphia’s Ottawa team in Ottawa, Canada, Chu Shin-soo (25) made one hit with four at-bats. It was his first in six games. Chu raised his batting average from 0.200 to 0.203. Buffalo lost the game, 4-1.

jeon@donga.com