He smiled brightly after the third challenge.
Ariel Furado (27), a foreign pitcher from Kiwoom in professional baseball, reported a victory in his KBO League debut. On the 15th, the KIA match held at Gocheok Sky Dome prepared a foothold for victory with a quality start (QS, 6 innings or more and 3 earned runs or less) with 6 innings and 1 run. The team batting line was also active, and the final victory was 6-1, completing an unforgettable day for Hurado.
There were 6 hits, but the fact that he did not allow a single 4-ball was effective. The rest of the innings were perfect, except for the top of the 3rd inning when he gave up 3 hits in a row and gave up 1 run. A fastball with a maximum speed of 150 km/h was mixed with various breaking balls such as a curveball, changeup, two-seam, and cutter to capture six strikeouts. It was also impressive to show that the more innings, the more powerful it is.
“I am happy to have helped the team win streak,” said Hurado. I discussed the pitching plan with catcher Kim Dong-heon before the game and executed it, and the result was good,” he expressed satisfaction. In the previous two appearances, he gave up 3 runs in 6 innings (against LG on the 4th) and 5 runs in 5⅓ innings and 3 earned runs (against NC on the 9th). After the game, he was baptized with water by his teammates and enjoyed the joy of his victory.
There is another reason why the debut win is significant. After becoming the third Panamanian KBO leaguer after Lenin Picota (former Hanwha) and Christian Betancourt (former NC), 17 embassy staff members visited the Gocheok Dome to support Rado. These are valuable relationships made while entering Korea and processing administrative tasks such as visa issuance.
The club explained,안전놀이터 “Because baseball is so popular in Panama that it is called the national sport, we were very happy and congratulated and welcomed the news that a player from our country was playing in the KBO league.”
In the match against Gocheok LG on the 4th, which was Hurado’s debut match, staff members including Atanasio Cosmas Shipaki, Panama’s ambassador to Korea, came to take a commemorative photo after the match. On this day, they also visited the stadium and cheered enthusiastically from one side of the crowd holding the Panama flag.
Embassy staff member Holio Gudrich said, “As a Panamanian citizen, I am grateful to Kiwoom for recruiting Hurado. It is an honor for a Panama player to play in Korea,” he said. “I hope he will play a good role so that Kiwoom can win.”
Another embassy official, Sergio López, also said, “I want to tell Hurado not to be lonely and to cheer up. He wants you to know that many Panamanians are cheering for him.”