He’s the new ‘super missile’ in the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen. Nate Pearson, 27, pitched another strong outing to help his team salvage a loss. Pearson entered the game as the fourth pitcher in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 2-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on 16 June and pitched one inning of scoreless baseball with one strikeout.

Pearson was touted as Toronto’s “original” successor to Ryu Hyun-jin, and was heavily groomed as a key prospect after being selected in the first round of the 2017 draft. However, he never really blossomed due to injuries and poor command. He broke into the major leagues for the first time in 2020, but only made 17 appearances until last year.

Last year, he didn’t even start a single game. He was forgotten about, but this year, he made a splash in the bullpen. He’s still a work in progress, but his performance has been very impressive. He’s already started 17 games this season. His record is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA, a .193 batting average, and a 0.91 WHIP.

His strength is in the bullpen. He struck out leadoff hitter Ramon Urias on a 101 mph high fastball. The second pitch that became a ball was 100.4 mph. Induced James McCann to ground out to shortstop with a 101.9 mph body fastball. Got Jorge Mateo to pop out to second base on a fastball slider.

Even in relatively low-pressure situations, it’s impressive to see him put his stuff out there. He’s not afraid to get physical. He went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 11 games in May and 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five games in June. After giving up two runs in the first inning against the New York Mets on 5 May, he hasn’t allowed a run in three straight games 토토사이트.

The Toronto core in front of current closer Jordan Romano is Tim Mayza, who is 1-1 with a 1.52 ERA in 32 appearances, Eric Swanson, who is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 16 appearances, and Trevor Richards, who has a 3.30 ERA in 22 appearances.

While Pearson is unlikely to be in the same league as those three right away, it’s hard to see him not being promoted to the closer’s role if he continues to perform well. As a former starter, he has shown multi-inning ability, pitching two innings in six games this season.

He’s no longer the heir apparent to Ryu Hyun-jin. For Pearson, the bullpen might be a better fit than the starting rotation. Many of his pitching issues have disappeared. In the end, the Toronto bullpen made a new discovery. It’s a shame to use a 164km bullpen as a chaser.