[Baseball] Park Records 1st MLB Save vs. Cincinnati

Pitcher Park Chan-ho of the Los Angeles Dodgers yesterday recorded the first save of his 15-year in the U.S. Major League Baseball in a 9-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

He took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team having a commanding 9-1 lead.

Relieving Dodgers starter Brad Penny, Park allowed two earned runs on three hits in three innings, including two homers, but came up with the save nonetheless.

The league credits a save to a pitcher who pitches three innings or more no matter how wide the lead is or how many runs he allows.

Since his U.S. debut in 1994, Park has pitched in 329 games and posted a record of 113-88, primarily as a starter. His inconsistent play, however, has relegated him to the bullpen this year.

The first Reds batter he faced, Edwin Encarnacion, blasted Park’s fastball over the left fence. The pitcher allowed one single and a walk after one out, but he closed the inning without giving up more runs by forcing Brandon Philips into a double play.

Park also ended the eighth with another double play after allowing a walk to Adam Dunn. But Joey Votto hit Park’s slider over the center fence for another run.

As a result, Park allowed consecutive homeruns for two games in a row and his fourth of the season.

He was aggressive on the mound, however, as his 29 of his 51 pitches were strikes. But his ball control was shaky, as he allowed two walks and had no strikeouts.

His earned run average shot up to 3.27 from 2.25.

hic@donga.com