At the beginning of the professional baseball season, the presence of a left-handed bullpen pitcher stands out greatly.
A team with a one-point relief to overcome mid-game crises or a solid left-handed bullpen to handle an inning is happy. Teams without a left arm in ‘Trust Man’ feel anxious.
SSG Landers, Lotte Giants, and LG Twins, which are popular in the top ranks, each have one left-handed agent who has grown or revived noticeably.
Koh Hyo-jun, who has rejuvenated himself, is an indispensable left-handed pitcher for SSG.
In the match against the NC Dinos on the 17th, when SSG won 4-0, Hyo-jun Ko took the mound in the 8th inning, striking out two and pitching a scoreless inning.
With his rare ‘reverse running’, which has become faster with age, Koh Hyo-jun has appeared in 18 games this season, with 2 wins and 1 loss, 4 holds, and an average ERA of 2.81, and SSG’s waist is solidly supported. He has excellent strikeout ability, as shown by his 19 strikeouts in 16 innings.
Pitching Kim Jin-wook
(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Deok-cheol = The 2023 professional baseball match between the Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 11th. In the top of the 6th inning, Lotte Kim Jin-wook is pitching메이저놀이터. 2023.5.11 kangdcc@yna.co.kr
At Lotte, Kim Jin-wook, who is in his third year of debut, is active as a ‘stopper’ in crisis.
In the 8th inning against the Hanwha Eagles, 1-1, Kim Jin-wook climbed the mound, struck out left-handed hitter Kim In-hwan, and put out the fire.
He mixed a fast ball with a curveball and induced Kim In-hwan to swing with 4 balls.
Kim Jin-wook is also showing decent results with 2 wins, 1 loss, 3 holds, and an ERA of 2.40 in 16 games this year. He struck out 15 in 15 innings.
Claim to celebrate the victory-finish
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Hyun-woo = LG Oh Ji-hwan and Ham Deok-ju are happy after winning 7-3 in the 2023 professional baseball game between kt wiz and LG Twins held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 17th. 2023.5.17 nowwego@yna.co.kr
Ham Deok-joo made a dramatic comeback after locking the back door of LG where Go Woo-seok had fallen due to injury.
Ham Deok-joo, who did not leave much of an impression in 2021-2022 after transferring from Doosan Bears to LG, has already appeared in 20 games this year, with 2 wins, 2 saves, 5 holds, and an average ERA of 1.96, supporting the weakened Twins bullpen with special pitching. there is.
He has such good pace that he has given up only one hit in 5⅓ innings in his last five games.
Choi Ji-min fighting back
(Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Nam-soo = KIA Choi Ji-min pitches in the top of the 9th inning in a professional baseball game between Lotte Giants and KIA Tigers held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. 2023.5.2 iso64@yna.co.kr
The KIA Tigers, who suffered 5 consecutive defeats and revived by defeating the Samsung Lions, have a lefty duo of Lee Jun-young and Choi Ji-min.
Lee Jun-young predicted the best season since his debut with 3 holds and an ERA of 1.74 in 16 games this year, and Choi Ji-min, who improved his skills by participating in the Australian Pro League as a member of Geelong Korea last winter, made his first win and save against Samsung on the 16th and 17th. It was won and announced the birth of a star.
Choi Ji-min, who is in his second year of debut, threw only six innings last year and is a candidate to compete for the Rookie of the Year award this year.
On the 17th, Choi Ji-min made a relief mound at 1 out and 2nd base, which was chased 7-6, and finished the victory by 1 point, showing off his thick guts. The ‘Pilseung J Trio’, which leads to Jeon Sang-hyun, Jang Hyun-sik, and Jung Hae-young, is sluggish, but thanks to the left-handed duo’s strength, KIA took a breath from the bullpen operation.
Jung Woo-ram, the stronghold of the Hanwha bullpen
[Courtesy of the Hanwha Eagles. Resale and DB prohibited]
Jeong Woo-ram, who will turn 38 on the 1st of next month, also serves as a bulwark for the Hanwha Eagles’ mound, which has gained tenacity with 4 holds and an ERA of 3.00.
In the game against Lotte on the 17th, Jung Woo-ram pitched 1-1 in 6 innings, gave only 1 walk and went 1 inning without conceding a run, laying the groundwork for an overtime victory.
He has an on-base percentage per inning (WHIP) of just 0.83 this year, and his batting average is good at 0.163. His stable management of the game stands out incomparably with the younger pitchers on the team.