The former Lotte ace has now risen to a position where he can aim for ‘first place’ in the major leagues.
New York Mets left-hander Brooks Reilly (35) added another hold. Rayleigh took the mound as a relief pitcher in the top of the ninth inning with the Mets leading 4-2 in the 2023 major league home game against the Philadelphia Phillies held at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, USA on the 2nd (Korean time).메이저놀이터
The leading hitter Rayleigh faced was Bryce Harper. Harper is one of the major league superstars, and the size of the contract he signed with Philadelphia alone reached 330 million dollars (approximately 431.1 billion won) over 13 years.
But to Rayleigh, it was just a victim of a strikeout. Rayleigh struck out swinging with an 81 mph (130 km) sweeper on ball counts 1B 2S. Afterwards, Nick Castellanos got a heavy hit, but Rayleigh, who struck out Kyle Schwaber with a 91 mile (146 km) sinker, could not continue pitching due to the opponent’s pinch-hitter strategy. Philadelphia put right-hander Drew Ellis on the mound for left-hander Brandon Marsh, and the Mets also put right-hander Drew Smith on the mound.
The match ended with the Mets winning 4-2. Rayleigh also accumulated the 13th hold of the season. Currently, Rayleigh is running second in the National League hold category. 1 is Peter Stzerecki of the Milwaukee Brewers. Stzerecki has accumulated 14 holds this year. Only 1 difference from Rayleigh. Therefore, if Rayleigh’s hold march continues, it is worth throwing a challenge for the title of ‘Hold King’.
Rayleigh is a successful case of re-entering the major leagues based on his performance in the KBO League Lotte. Rayleigh, who played for Lotte from 2015 to 2019, was active with an average ERA of 4.13 with 48 wins and 53 losses over five seasons. During his time at Lotte, he was a player who did not follow Seung-woon compared to the content of pitching. In 2019, his last season at Lotte, he threw 181 innings and left an earned run average of 3.88, but with 5 wins and 14 losses, the loss was not insignificant.
Rayleigh played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020 before moving to the Houston Astros, and in 58 games in 2021, he recorded 2 wins, 3 losses, 2 saves, 10 holds, and an ERA of 4.78, helping the team win the World Series. On the mound, he had the best season of his career with 1 win, 2 losses, 6 saves, and an ERA of 2.68 with 25 holds. Reilly, who was traded to the Mets ahead of this season, continues to play an active role with an average ERA of 2.84 with 1 win, 1 save and 13 holds in 23 games this year.