The 73-save closer is back.바카라
Right-hander Jung Hae-young (22), who was the closer for the KIA Tigers, has returned to form. He joined the first team on the 2nd before the game against the LG Twins in Jamsil. It was the first time in 34 days since he was removed from the roster on 29 May for a pitching adjustment. He made his comeback appearance immediately. Instead of closing out the game, he was called upon to prevent further damage in the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 1-3.
He faced the first batter, Shin Min-jae, and induced a grounder to shortstop with four pitches, including a fastball up to 147km and a 140km fork. Against league-leading leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki, he used a 128km slider followed by a hard fastball to induce a fly ball to left field. Third baseman Moon Seong-ju also threw a fork in five pitches and induced a grounder to shortstop.
He threw a total of 13 pitches against these three batters, all of whom were batting over .300, to end the inning with a clean triple play. His power, velocity, fastball, and changeup were all solid. He had 10 fastballs, two forks and one slider. All of his fastballs touched 145 mph. Last year, he averaged over 144.5 kilometres.
This year, he dipped to the 140km mark and took a lot of hard hits, but you could see the strength in his fastballs as they were fouled off by LG’s strong hitters. He was able to regain control of his fastball, which has a high RPM. In his first first-team appearance in 35 days, he showed off a solid command of his pitches.
Jung went down to rehab and focused on lower body training and balance exercises, and on 17 June, she started throwing at the Futures. At first, she threw only fastballs. I focused on recovering my fastball, including my rotation. After throwing only fastballs, he went 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in six games (9⅓ innings). He also received advice from second team coach Son Seung-rac, a former closer.
Before the game, Kim Jong-kook said, “It’s not the end of the world. We plan to use him in the bullpen. Choi Ji-min will be at the back, followed by Lim Ki-young, Jeon Sang-hyun and Lee Jun-young. Hae-young can pitch the fifth and sixth innings. Pil Seung-jo can be a burden. He’s stable in terms of operation and pitches.”
For now, Pil-Seung-jo’s return to the closer’s role is premature. The intention was to use him in low-pressure situations as he had just returned, but Jeong was clean and flawless. If she continues to pitch well, she could be used in more important situations. Jung’s recovery is good news because it could soon lead to a bolstering of a tired bullpen.
Jung earned the closer’s job in 2021, recording 34 saves, and by the 2022 season, he had reached 30 saves for the second straight year. It was the first time in the history of the Tigers’ closers. This year, he struggled with his pitches from camp in Arizona. After recharging, he made a strong comeback. In 21 games, he is 3-1 with six saves and a 3.26 ERA.