Landers release slumping starter Veneziano
SSG Landers starter Anthony Veneziano pitches against the Samsung Lions during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in the western city of Incheon, May 27. Yonhap
The SSG Landers announced Saturday they have cut ties with struggling starting pitcher Anthony Veneziano.
The Landers added they will announce their acquisition of Veneziano's replacement shortly.
Veneziano, the 28-year-old left-hander, struggled to a 6.10 ERA and a 2-5 record in 16 starts in his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. The Landers scrambled to sign Veneziano in January after terminating a deal with their initial target, Drew VerHagen, over a failed physical.
Veneziano never found his groove, giving up at least a run in 15 of his 16 outings. He posted a 7.23 ERA in four April starts and then had a 7.31 ERA in five games in June.
The Landers have the highest team ERA in the KBO at 5.79 and they have received poor performances from their other foreign pitchers, too.
Mitch White, a returnee from 2025, made just six appearances this year due to a shoulder injury and carried a 4.11 ERA before getting released last month. His short-term replacement, Ginjiro Hiramoto, went 0-3 with a 9.56 ERA in four outings, prompting the Landers to cut bait in early June.
Thomas Hatch, who joined the rotation in mid-June, is 1-2 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts so far.
The Landers' Asian quota pitcher, Shota Takeda of Japan, has a 1-7 record and a 7.41 ERA.
The Landers suffered a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak earlier this year and are now mired in a seven-game slide. They are in ninth place in the 10-team league at 30-48-3 (wins-losses-ties).