SSG Landers’ newest foreign player, Roenis Elias, will make his KBO debut on Thursday.

Elias will start a home game against the LG Twins in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 24.

Elias is a foreign pitcher that SSG acquired after releasing Enri Romero. Elias made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2014 and has a career record of 22-24 with a 3.96 ERA in 133 games (54 starts) in the big leagues.

He represented Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and came to Korea this season with a 2-2 record and 5.48 ERA in four Triple-A starts without a big league appearance.

Previously, Elias made a start in a Futures (second-tier) League game against the Samsung Lions on April 18, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in 3⅔ innings. His fastball topped out at 147 kilometers per hour.

SSG deemed Elias’ fastball, curveball, changeup, slider, and other pitches to be in good shape and set his first-team debut for today.

SSG, which has been plagued by a foreign pitching atrocity in the past with Brock Daikson, Nick Kingham, Artie Lewicki, and Ivan Nova, is hoping Elias can solve that problem.

With consultant Trey Hillman, SSG’s former manager, and Guillermo Heredia, a Cuban-born foreign hitter who played as a teammate with the Seattle Mariners, the team is excited to cross-validate Elias’ skills and character.안전놀이터

SSG currently has a starting lineup of Kim Kwang-hyun, Kirk McCarty, Oh Won-seok, Park Jong-hoon, and Song Young-jin, but the addition of Elias will help them build a more stable rotation.

Elias’s performance will also be important for the team in the standings.

Currently, SSG is in second place with 26 wins, 1 loss, and 15 ties. The team is demoralized after losing the first place game to the LG Twins (27-1, 14-0) the day before.

With a must-win game for the best-of-seven series, Elias can help SSG regain momentum and move into first place.