Did they find Jang Hyun-sik’s manual? LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said Jang is the new relief pitcher. Jang has only seven saves in his career. Yeom Kyung-yeop is drawing keen attention as he once raised Kim Se-hyun as a surprise relief king when he was the head coach of Nexen (currently Kiwoom).
During the stove league, LG was busy reinforcing the bullpen. It guaranteed Jang Hyun-sik, a four-year, 5.2 billion won (approx. It also secured Doosan One Club man Kim Kang-ryul. It appointed left-hander Choi Chae-heung as compensation for Choi Won-tae, who left for Samsung.
LG struggled due to the thin bullpen in the 2024 season. After the end of the season, Yoo Young-chan, the closing pitcher, underwent surgery. Yoo Young-chan is most likely to be absent in the early 2025 season. LG recruited relievers steadily so as not to repeat the same mistake.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop appointed Jang Hyun-sik as the new closing pitcher to fill Yoo Young-chan’s vacancy. Jang has 91 holds overall, which is a powerful must-win pitching player. However, he has only seven saves in his professional career. He has little experience in finishing the game. Veteran Kim Jin-seong is much richer in his finishing experience. Kim Jin-seong made 25 saves in 2014 when he was playing at the NC Dinosaurs.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop seems to have already figured out how to use Jang Hyun-sik. Manager Yeom already boasts a history of making a “0 save” pitcher the king of saves.
Yeom used Kim Se-hyun as the closing pitcher when he was the Nexen manager in 2016. Up until then, Kim had a strong impression that he was a pitcher with good pitching capabilities but unstable control. He could hardly burst his potential.
Yeom used Kim Se-hyun well at the right place. Kim had two wins, no losses and 36 saves with an earned run average of 2.60, while playing 62 games in 2016. The average pitcher became the most saved pitcher. 스포츠토토
There seemed to be a finishing pitcher to represent the league.
However, in 2017, when manager Yeom Kyung-yeop left the Nexen Heroes, Kim was not as good as a lie. He was traded to Kia during the 2017 season, but failed to revive in the end. Kim was unstable in 2017 with one win, five losses and 18 saves with an ERA of 5.40. Since then, Kim’s ERA has never been lower than five points.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop later took the helm of the SK Wyverns and rekindled Kim Se-hyun. Manager Yeom recruited Kim Se-hyun again in 2020 and utilized him effectively in the bullpen. Although he had a high ERA, he pitched 42 innings with two wins, seven holds and one save without losing a game.
Of course, Jang and Kim Se-hyun, who have established themselves as must-win teams for several seasons, are not directly compared. However, high expectations are also high for Jang in that Yeom Kyung-yeop has made a pitcher who has virtually no experience in finishing the game as the relief king.
