Former Nationals pitcher reaches rare milestone in KBO

One year ago, with a roster crunch approaching, the Washington Nationals elected to non-tender right-hander Erick Fedde, a move that seemingly made a lot of sense given the pitcher's production and knowing that he would be out of options once the 2023 season began. The Nationals didn't feel they had a place for Fedde, and instead of risking a raise via arbitration from his $2.15 million salary, they chose to move on. 

Fedde ended up signing in Korea, with the NC Dinos, rather than accepting a minor league deal. Much of that decision was likely financially motivated; like many players who choose to go overseas, the earning potential is greater than simply sticking with an MLB-affiliated organization on a minor league deal. Fedde earned $800,000 this year, plus received a $200,000 signing bonus — the maximum allowed by the KBO for first-year foreign players. 

The investment was well worth it for the Dinos. 

Fedde pitched six shutout innings in his latest start, striking out seven while helping the Dinos defeat the Hanwha Eagles 2-0. The win was Fedde's 20th on the season, and he now has 204 strikeouts on the year in 174.1 innings. This marks just the fifth time in KBO history that a player has won 20 games and struck out 200 batters in the same season.