Unstoppable Sampson catapults the Eagles to the top

Unstoppable Sampson catapults the Eagles to the top. August. 03, 2018 09:32. by Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com.
“Inspiring beyond imagination.” This is the impression that Keyvius Sampson (pictured), an American starter for the Hanwha Eagles, is leaving for his fans. On Wednesday, the American pitcher led a 4-3 victory against KT, allowing two runs for six innings, and notched up his 12th win this season. Thanks to the latest win, Sampson has become a foreign pitcher with the most wins in history of Hanwha Eagles, breaking the previous record in 11 years.

Hanwha is having a field day this season, thanks to Sampson’s surprising performance. This season, Hanwha bullpen is having a difficult time, with Kim Jae-young having won only six games, the best record among the club’s Korean pitchers. Roughly halfway the season, however, the Eagles are staying in the leading group, keeping their rank at the third. It would have not been possible had it not been for Sampson, who churned out 12 games over a whopping 128 innings.

Sampson has never skipped the rotation this season. Since early in the season, he has been leading the front of strike-outs with 158 of them, further broadening the gap with Henry Sosa of the LG Twins, who has pulled off 146 strike-outs this season. If Sampson manages to keep the current pace, the title of the most strike-outs will likely belong to him as well. There is no foreign pitcher of Hanwha who has won an individual title in the KBO League.