P2Live: Pirates Trudge Through Lifeless Loss, Jun-Seok Shim Throws Four Perfect Innings in Pro Debut

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim out of Korea in January, with the young pitcher foregoing the KBO draft for a $750,000 bonus.

Shim, who turned 19 in April, was turning a lot of heads inside the organization with his first impressions in camp. He was hitting as high as 101 MPH, and was looking like one of the best pitching prospects on the field in a very deep system.

The 6’4″, 215 pound starter made his pro debut today in the Florida Complex League. He continued providing the hype, throwing four perfect innings with eight strikeouts. His fastball was sitting 94-97 MPH. The results speak for themselves. You can read more about Shim in the Prospect Watch below, after the game is completed.

The Pirates take on the Mets today, looking to build off their big win last night. Johan Oviedo takes the mound for the Buccos.

PIRATES GAME PREVIEWS

PIRATES (33-29) VS METS

Game Time: 4:05 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Johan Oviedo, RHP (3-4, 4.29)
Mets Starter: Kodai Senga, RHP (5-3, 3.75)
Pirates Lineups:

On the hunt.

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— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 10, 2023

Mets Lineups:

Tonight’s starters. #LGM

🆚 Pittsburgh
💪 @KodaiSenga
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— New York Mets (@Mets) June 10, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS (28-32) VS OMAHA

Game Time: 7:05 PM EST
Projected Starter: Cody Bolton (1-2, 2.84)
Latest Features:

6/7: Aaron Shackelford adjusts swing and relocates power
6/6: Carmen Mlodzinski improves all the way with aggressive approach
5/26: Potential Plan For Jared Triolo Becoming More Clear

ALTOONA (29-24) AT RICHMOND

Game Time: 6:05 PM EST
Projected Starter: Aaron Shortridge, RHP (3-3, 5.55)
Latest Features:

6/9: Jared Jones Continues Incredible Development With Altoona
6/1: Matt Gorski Displays Athleticism And Versatility
5/25: Sean Sullivan Continues To Thrive In Altoona

GREENSBORO (30-23) VS WILMINGTON

Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: Po Yu Chen (2-3, 4.66)
Latest Features:

6/4: Braxton Ashcraft Showing Velocity and Control in Return From Tommy John
6/2: Abrahan Gutierrez Hitting Ground Running Returning From Injury
5/26: Anthony Solometo Faces Two Top 100 Prospects In Greensboro

BRADENTON (29-26) VS DUNEDIN

Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: Derek Diamond (3-3, 4.99)
Latest Features:

6/9: Ryan Harbin: Sinker/Slider Mix Dominating Single-A Hitters
6/3: Thomas Harrington Displayed Swing and Miss Secondary in Bradenton
5/30: With May Ending, Shalin Polanco Heading In Right Direction

FCL PIRATES (2-2)

Game Time: 10:00 AM EST
Projected Starter: Jun-Seok Shim, RHP (Pro Debut)

DSL PIRATES BLACK (1-3)

Game Time: 11:00 AM EST
Projected Starter: Bladimir Pichardo, RHP (Pro Debut)

**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates

DSL PIRATES GOLD (3-1)

Game Time: 10:30 AM EST
Projected Starter: Victor Cabreja, LHP (2023 Debut)

**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates

DAILY PIRATES NEWS

**Jack Brannigan was drafted in the third round last year, and is currently in the midst of a hot streak at the plate. After a home run last night, Anthony Murphy broke down what has been working for Brannigan.

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PIRATES RECAP

By Jeff Reed

Final Score:  Mets 5, Pirates 1

Player of the Game: Johan Oviedo, SP (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

Recap:

It was a Saturday snoozer for most of the Pirates second game against the New York Mets.

Neither side could get much of anything going offensively for most of the game. The Pirates were facing one of the Mets big off-season acquisitions for the first time, Kodai Senga. He utilized a six-pitch arsenal that kept the Pittsburgh offense in check after their 14 run outburst, incorporating a forkball which drew seven swings and misses, with only Tucupita Marcano able to put a 42.4 MPH groundball in play.

Connor Joe was seeing the ball well, and came within feet of blowing the game open. In the bottom of the third, he drove a 1-1 fastball with two outs and the bases loaded to the wall, but center fielder Brandon Nimmo tracked back and made a jumping catch at the wall to end the threat.

In the fifth inning, Joe hit a line drive to left center on which Nimmo once again stole a hit with a diving catch.

Through six innings, the Mets were only able to push across one run against Johan Oviedo on an RBI single in the third inning. While the Pirates registered only a run in the fourth against Senga with help from two Mets errors.

Former Bucco Starling Marte kicked off the seventh inning with an infield single to Marcano that he just beat out after Marcano took a split-second too long to get the throw off. Marte stole second with Oviedo striking out Brett Baty on the pitch, and then reliever Dauri Moreta came in.

Moreta struck out the first batter he faced, and after an intentional walk, he then gave up a two-run double to Mark Canha for a Mets 3-1 lead. Reliever Jose Hernandez entered to strike out the next batter, but the damage had been done and Oviedo ended his night throwing 6.1 innings with two earned runs against.

Colin Holderman pitched the eighth, and gave up a lead-off home run to Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez. Angel Perdomo took the ninth, and gave up a run of his own.

The Pirates weren’t able to generate any other offense, losing 5-1, with Andrew McCutchen still searching for hit 2,000 or his 400th double after going 0-for-3 with a walk.

PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH

By Wilbur Miller

TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS

Final Score:  Omaha 9, Indianapolis 5
Player of the Game:  Ryan Vilade 3-for-4, 3 RBI
Recap:

Indianapolis went with a bullpen game against Omaha.  It worked well about half the time, but the rest of the time didn’t go well.  Cody Bolton started it off with two scoreless innings, giving up just a hit and fanning three.  Ryan Borucki also threw two scoreless innings.  Hunter Stratton, though, gave up five runs over an inning and two-thirds, on three hits and four walks.  Tyler Chatwood worked a scoreless inning and a third, but Daniel Zamora got torched for four runs in the ninth.  Two of those runs scored after Eli Villalobos entered the game.

Thanks to ten walks, the Indians had all sorts of scoring chances, but they went just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position.  Ryan Vilade and Chris Owings had five of Indy’s eight hits, with Owings getting the only extra base hit, a double, as well as a walk.  Vilade had three hits and three RBIs.

Miguel Andujar and Henry Davis each walked three times, and Andujar also had a single.  Endy Rodriguez was 1-for-5.  Nick Gonzales and Aaron Shackelford had rough days.  Each went 0-for-5, and they stranded six and seven runners, respectively.

DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA

Final Score:  Richmond 11, Altoona 2
Player of the Game:  Liover Peguero 3-for-5, HR (6)
Recap:

Altoona got routed by Richmond, 11-2.  Starter Aaron Shortridge recorded only five outs, as he gave up five runs in the second inning, four on a grand slam.  Nick Dombkowski and Omar Cruz combined for five and a third scoreless relief innings, allowing just one hit and two walks between them.  In the eighth, though, Bear Bellomy gave up six runs.

The offense totaled eight hits, but went 0-for-11 with RISP.  Liover Peguero provided one run with his sixth longball of the year.  The other scored when Andres Alvarez doubled and eventually came around on a ground out.  Dylan Shockley, Peguero and Alvarez, batting 9-1-2, each reached base three times, but they scored only the two runs as the rest of the lineup went 1-for-21.  Peguero and Shockley each had three hits, while Alvarez had the double and two walks.

HIGH-A: GREENSBORO

Final Score:  Wilmington 8, Greensboro 4
Player of the Game:  Will Matthiessen 2-for-3, HR (6), BB, 3 RBI
Recap:

Po-Yu Chen had a decent start but Greensboro lost to Wilmington, 8-4.  Chen went five, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.  He fanned six.  Once Chen was out, Logan Hofmann blew up the game in the sixth, allowing five runs, three unearned due to his own error.  Jake Stevenson, Jack Carey and Santiago Florez each threw a scoreless inning.

The offense was nearly all Will Matthiessen.  He drove in three of the four runs, one on his sixth home run.  He also singled in Tres Gonzalez, who’d singled and moved up on an error, and drove in Tsung-Che Cheng, who’d tripled, with a ground out.  The other run scored on a Sammy Siani ground out.

SINGLE-A: BRADENTON

Final Score:  Bradenton 7, Dunedin 6
Player of the Game:  Shalin Polanco 1-for-4, HR (9), 3 RBI
Recap:

Bradenton took a 7-2 lead over Dunedin and just hung on to win.  The big hit was a three-run blast by Shalin Polanco in a five-run third, putting the Marauders ahead to stay.  It was his ninth home run of the year, all in his last 33 games.  Enmanuel Terrero also had a good game, with three hits, including a triple, and a steal.  Termarr Johnson was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Nick Cimillo drove in a run with a double.

Derek Diamond started and made it through five innings.  He gave up four runs on five hits and three walks.  Owen Sharts threw two scoreless innings.  Julian Bosnic got the save for working the last two innings, although he gave up two runs, one earned.

ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES

Final Score:  Pirates 9, Orioles 4
Player of the Game:  Jun-Seok Shim 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Recap:

Jun-Seok Shim made his pro debut, retiring 12 straight over four innings as the FCL Pirates stomped the Orioles, 9-4.  Shim fanned eight.  Of the four balls put in play, one was a weak grounder, while the other three were hit hard.  Braylon Bishop robbed one batter of extra bases with a great, diving catch.

Shim was consistently able to throw his fastball past hitters, but he didn’t rely that heavily on it.  He mixed his pitches constantly and showed surprising command for a guy who’s just a few months past 19.  His slider was his most effective secondary pitch and he was able to throw it for strikes much of the time.  His change also was effective.

Roelmy Garcia followed Shim and walked the first two hitters he faced.  He escaped his only inning with one run allowed thanks to an Oriole TOOTBLAN.  Gilberto Alcala made his stateside debut, starting off with two quick innings but getting hit hard in his third inning, leading to three runs.  He would have been worse off but for an out call at the plate that was probably wrong.

The offense benefited heavily from six Oriole errors, but Yordany De Los Santos, Esmerlyn Valdez and Ewry Espinal had good days.  De Los Santos had a single, double, and three runs scored.  Valdez had three hits and two RBIs.  Espinal reached three times on a single and two walks.  Each of the three stole a base.  Wesley Zapata had a triple and Juan Jerez a double.

ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK

Final Score:  Brewers2 7, Pirates Black 6
Player of the Game:  Samuel Escudero 3-4, 3B
Recap:

The Pirates Black lost a seesaw game to the Brewers2, 7-6.  They failed to hold a 4-3 lead, giving up two in the bottom of the eighth, scored two in the top of the ninth to go ahead 6-5, then gave up two runs to lose in walkoff fashion in the bottom of the inning.

Bladimir Pichardo made his pro debut.  He was one of the Pirates’ top international signings this past winter, getting $750,000.  He went three innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two.  Dariel Francia gave up a run over two innings and Luis Joseph threw two scoreless innings.  The rest of the relief pitching was forgettable.

Samuel Escudero led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a triple that put the Pirates ahead in the ninth.  Cristian Jauregui had a single, two walks and a steal, as well as two runs and two RBIs.  Joseph Sequera and Carlos Caro each had a double.

ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD

Final Score:  LAD Mega 6, Pirates Gold 4
Player of the Game:  Juan Machado 2-3, 3B, BB
Recap: 

The Pirates Gold lost to the Dodgers Mega, 6-4.  Victor Cabreja started and threw two scoreless innings, allowing a walk and no hits, and striking out one.  Luis C. Gonzalez followed and allowed four runs in the third.  Jesus Clode gave up two runs, one earned, over three innings.

Tony Blanco, Jr., gave the Pirates a brief lead with a solo home run in the first, his first longball of the season.  He finished 1-for-4.  Juan Machado and Edwarli Brioso each went 2-for-3.  Machado had a triple and added a walk, and Brioso’s hits were both doubles.  They’re both off to good starts, with Machado batting .353 with a .947 OPS, and Brioso .357 with a 1.009 OPS.  Brioso did, however, commit two errors, giving him six on the year.  Eduardo Oviedo doubled and walked.