Carrasco twirls gem as Twins beat Bears in KBO Wildcard game

Carlos Carrasco, a former big league pitcher nicknamed “Cookie,” delivered a sweet performance for his new Korean team to begin their postseason run Wednesday.

The Venezuelan right-hander fired six strong innings as the LG Twins beat the Doosan Bears 4-1 in the KBO Wildcard game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul. He scattered four hits and was charged with one run, which scored in the seventh inning after reliever Jon Kennedy let an inherited runner in.

Carrasco signed with the Twins in late July, having recorded 112 wins in MLB, the most by a non-Korean MLB pitcher to come to the KBO. In his Korean debut on Aug. 1, Carrasco threw seven perfect innings against the Bears. Wednesday was Carrasco’s first meeting against the Bears since then.

Carrasco would not be perfect in this one as he surrendered a single to the very first hitter he faced, Park Chan-ho, but allowed just one more single over the next five shutout frames.

Carrasco got into his first real trouble in the seventh, when he allowed a single and a double to begin the inning.

Rather than letting Carrasco work out of his own jam, the Twins summoned Jon Kennedy from the bullpen.

Kennedy hit a batter to load the bases and then gave up a sacrifice fly that scored the Bears’ first run, which was charged to Carrasco. But Kennedy kept the damage to just that one run to preserve a lead for the Twins, and they hung on to make a winner out of Carrasco.

Carrasco barely threw anything straight in this game, with only nine four-seam fastballs but 25 cutters, 21 changeups, 11 two-seam fastballs, 11 sliders and seven curveballs.

Carrasco had a 0-1 record in three MLB postseason starts and earned his first KBO postseason win in his first outing here.

Yonhap