A Nicaraguan pitcher who made a surprising pitch at the World Baseball Classic is becoming a hot topic as he signed a contract with a major league club on the spot.
The protagonist is 21-year-old Nicaraguan right-hander Duque Hebbert.
ESPN said on the 14th (Korean time),먹튀검증 ‘The Nicaraguan national team lost to the Dominican Republic at the WBC today, but depending on the look, one pitcher can be said to have won.’ reported that
Nicaragua lost to the Dominican Republic 1-6 in Group D match held at Maimari Rondipo Park that day. However, Hebert showed impressive pitching. He took the mound in the top of the ninth, trailing 1-6, giving up only one hit and striking out all three outs in one inning.
However, it is surprising that the hitters struck out by him are the best superstars in the major leagues. First, lead batter Juan Soto struck out Hebert on three pitches. He swung a miss on a changeup that landed low at 84.5 mph. Turning around, Soto shook his head at his dugout colleagues. Julio Rodriguez then missed the bat on an 80.4 mile slider on the 5th ball count 2B2S.
Manny Machado hit a double to the left, but Rafael Devers struck out Hebert’s low 83.8 mph changeup on a full count.
It is said that a Detroit scout who watched this process on the spot approached Hebert, who was about to leave the field after the game, and brought up the story of the contract.
ESPN said, “According to Nicaragua Sports Federation press officer Carlos Alfaro Leone, Tigers scout Luis Molina spotted Hebert leaving Londipo Park, approached him, asked questions and instantly signed him to a minor league contract,” said ESPN. This fact was officially announced inside the team bus.”
It is very rare to sign a contract with a major league club like this. Hebert threw a changeup in the mid-80s and a sinker and slider in the low-90s. But he didn’t have pitches far out of the strike zone, and his low pitch, corner work, and messy ball movement stood out.
Sandor Guido, coach of the Nicaragua national team, welcomed him, saying, “He showed what kind of pitcher he is today. With will and passion, good things happen.”
According to Baseball Reference, Hebert is a right-hander and has a diminutive physique with a height of 1m78 and a weight of 77kg. Born in October 2001 in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. He appeared in 15 games in the Nicaragua Winter League before participating in the WBC, threw 20 innings, and recorded 19 hits (including 3 home runs), 7 walks, 18 strikeouts, an ERA of 5.40, and a WHIP of 1.3000.