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Hard-luck Lions ace Jurado desperately seeking run support

Published: 16 Apr. 2025, 17:01

Samsung Lions pitcher Ariel Jurado pitches during a KBO preseason game against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on March 16. [YONHAP]

Samsung Lions pitcher Ariel Jurado is leading the KBO with five quality starts — an outing in which a starter goes at least six innings and allows no more than three earned runs.

The Panamanian right-hander, though, is also leading the league in rotten luck.

Over the past couple of weeks, no starter has received less run support than Jurado. Over his past four starts, from March 28 to Tuesday, Jurado has allowed just seven earned runs in 28 innings for a 2.25 ERA, but his record over that span is 0-3. In those 28 innings, the Lions scored just one run — this from a team that ranks second overall in the KBO with 110 runs scored.

For the season, Jurado is 1-3 but has a strong 2.38 ERA, putting him in 10th place in the KBO. He is tied with five other players for the most losses this season but has by far the lowest ERA in that group.

The low point for Jurado came Tuesday night against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Jurado held the first-place Twins to just one run over seven innings, but his Lions teammates did not even manage a hit against four opposing pitchers, including starter Elieser Hernandez. They ended up losing 3-0 as the Twins threw the fourth combined no-hitter in KBO history.

The Samsung Lions react after losing 3-0 to the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on April 15. [NEWS1]

The lone run scored in support of Jurado came against the SSG Landers last Wednesday, when Jurado went seven innings and gave up one run. The Lions lost that game 3-1 in extra innings.

Six days prior to that, Jurado held the Kia Tigers to three runs in six innings, but the Lions lost 3-1. Tigers starter James Naile outpitched Jurado with seven shutout frames, and the Lions eked out a run in the top of the ninth against Kia's bullpen.

On March 28, the Lions fell to the Doosan Bears 2-0, being held to three hits over seven innings by Doosan starter Cole Irvin. Jurado pitched eight innings of two-run ball and struck out his season-high 11 batters, all for naught.

In yet another stroke of bad luck, Jurado has been opposed by foreign aces in all five of his starts this season. The Lions only swung the bat well in their season-opening victory against Kenny Rosenberg and the Kiwoom Heroes, giving Jurado a 13-2 lead after five innings for an eventual 13-5 victory.

Since then, the Lions have been silenced by Irvin, Naile, Drew Anderson of the SSG Landers and then Hernandez.

All three of Jurado's losses have come on the road this year. The Lions have been completely different teams when they've played away from Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, the most hitter-friendly stadium in the KBO.

They are 7-4-0 (wins-losses-ties) at home, and 20 of their 21 home runs have been hit there. They also lead the KBO in batting average (.294) and on-base plus slugging (.882) at home.

On the road, they are 3-5-0, and they have hit just .205 in those games, along with a .558 OPS.

Yonhap