“Ham Deok-ju is contemplating.”
LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who is in the midst of planning a semi-playoff (PO), is agonizing over how to use Ham Deok-joo.
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop met with reporters at Icheon Champions Park and introduced, “Ham Deok-ju is focusing on training to improve speed.”
Ham Deok-ju, who was a key winning team for LG to win its first combined championship in 29 years last year, lost one game and had a 5.40 ERA in 15 games this season. In January this year, he was on the operating table due to a microfracture of his left elbow, and the expected return time was in June, but he eventually returned in mid-August.
Even when he returned to the team, he was not in 100 percent physical condition, but had to throw balls in the first team due to busy schedule. He gradually improved his physical condition by completing consecutive throws, which was his homework.
The key to victory lies in whether the team recovers its speed. The speed of its four-seam fastball, which was 140.2 kilometers per hour last year on average, has dropped to 136.4 kilometers per hour (based on statistics) this season. “The speed of the fastball has to go up more. The average speed of the fastball has to be 140 kilometers per hour. That way, the power of the changeup will also be revived,” Yeom said. The changeup hit rate soared to 0.294 this season from 0.118 last year. Yeom said, “The decrease in the power of the changeup, Ham Deok-ju’s main weapon, is related to the reduced speed of the fastball. 스포츠토토
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “Considering Ham Deok-ju’s ball speed (on the 28th, the last game of the regular season), it will not be easy to put him in a must-win group (in the postseason),” adding, “I’m thinking about how to use it.”
Compared to last year, LG’s bullpen has gotten a lot looser. Veteran Kim Jin-seong and closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan are the only ones who trusted and used the team during the regular season. They are considering adding two starting pitchers after replacing them with relief pitchers during the post season. Baek and Kim Dae-hyun, who showed little performance during the regular season, are also considering using a must-win team for short-term games.
However, there are not enough left-handed bullpen resources. This is why Ham Deok-ju’s revival is urgently needed.
Ham had four wins, four saves and 16 holds with an ERA of 1.62 last year, and pitched well in the Korean Series with one win and an ERA of 2.70 in four appearances. He has many experiences in big games. Thanks to his stellar performance, he signed an FA contract worth 3.8 billion won (600 million won in down payment, 1.4 billion won in annual salary, and 1.8 billion won in incentive) for four years after the end of the season.
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “(Ham) Deok-ju is training to speed up in a short period of time,” adding, “I’m focusing on training because I don’t have any physical problems.”
“My mission is to hand over the team’s lead to the subsequent pitcher easily,” Ham said in an interview with this newspaper after his return. “I hope my team won’t lose. I don’t want to make a single mistake.”
