Seo Jae-weong’s Fortitude of Mind Gives NY Mets Second Victory

One of the virtues a good MLB pitcher should have is persistence. All the steadiness has made today‘s Gregory Maddux, dubbed the “fire-balling control artist”, who won at least 15 games for the past 15 consecutive seasons.

The Associated Press (AP) praised Seo Jae-weong yesterday as “the steadiest starter” in the New York Mets. This honor was attributable to Seo`s strong performance during the season.

Except for the Houston game on April 23, the South Korean starter fought nine games out of ten with the ERA less than 3 points. His ERA is 3.07 while his ERA as starter is 2.74, which ranks him sixth in the National League.

Seo demonstrated his undaunted spirit during yesterday‘s game against the Atlanta Braves at rain-soaked Shea Stadium. Seo scattered six hits, allowed four balls and lost two points through eight innings. Seo pitched into the ninth, leaving to a standing ovation after Chipper Jones led off with a double. Although he could not secure three strikes and his highest pitching speed stood at 145 Km, Seo knew how to control his pitching against his opponents.

In a game on April 26, Seo only allowed Maddux three hits and one point through seven innings, thereby contributing to the Mets` second consecutive victory over the Atlanta Braves, one of the most aggressive in the National League.

After the serial failures, Atlanta coach Bobby Cox said: “Seo is an outstanding player. He skillfully controlled his speed to overwhelm every batter. He knows how to pitch.” Seo also said, “I controlled the speed of my straight balls between 130 and 140 km.”

Yesterday was the second victory for Seo since he earned the season`s first victory in the Pittsburgh game on April 18. He went through seven losses against his rivals before he established himself on the ground with the sweet victory.

During the game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, the confrontation was played for the first time between Korean hurlers in seven innings. Bong Jung-geun of Atlanta secured two hits and zero point loss.

In the meantime, Choi Hee-sup of the Chicago Cubs recorded one hit and four strike-outs for six bats in the game with Houston, helping the Cubs win by one to zero.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com