“You have to get a strikeout!”
Park Young-hyun, who received the KT Wiz’s first nomination in the 2022 Rookie Draft, recorded a 3.66 ERA with one loss and two holds in 52 appearances since his debut season, and spent his best season with 3 wins, 3 losses, 32 saves and a 2.75 ERA in 68 games (75 ⅓ innings) last year, moving between the setup man and the closing position. In addition, he also joined the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG) team and enjoyed the joy of putting the gold medal around his neck.
Perhaps due to the aftermath of throwing too many innings last year, Park got off to a bad start this season. He displayed strong performance by posting one win and one loss with 14.73 ERA in three games in March, and displayed lackluster performance by posting 1-1 with three saves and 4.42 ERA in April. However, it didn’t take long to regain his form. Park has shown performance since May this year.
Park Young-hyun had his best month with two wins, three saves and an ERA of 0.68 in 10 games in May, before falling to one win, four saves and an ERA of 8.71 in 11 games in June, but he performed with two wins and eight saves in July, and continued his good performance with three wins and four saves and an ERA of 1.80 in August. He also had three saves in September, leaving 10 wins, two losses, 25 saves and an ERA of 3.52 in 66 games (76 ⅔ innings).
His good performance also led to the postseason. Park Young-hyun saved two games without losing a point in the wild card game with the Doosan Bears, and in the semi-playoff, he blocked a total of four ⅓ innings (two games), marking one win and one save. In particular, his perfect pitching by striking out three in three ⅓ innings against LG on the 9th was enough to surprise everyone. Based on this, he once again added the national flag following the Hangzhou AG and the Seoul Series.
The starting lineup for this year’s national team is relatively weak. For this reason, Won Tae-in (Samsung), who acquired the title of the most wins this year, and Son Joo-young (LG), who flourished in potential, are also out due to injuries. However, starting with Park Young-hyun, “special promising players” Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan) and Cho Byung-hyun (SSG), Jeong Hae-young, who contributed a lot to the KIA Tigers’ combined victory, have built a strong bullpen that is truly the best ever. Park Young-hyun is also aware of this. 메이저놀이터
“Kim Taek-yeon got the ball in the Seoul Series and got the ball from other players in this year’s national team, and everyone was so happy,” Park said with a big smile. “I love studying, but the bullpen is so good that I feel like I’m playing baseball and it’s fun,” Park said. “Tae-yeon’s ball is so good as everyone knows. I’m also a big fan, and we don’t play catch together now, but everyone is impressed.”
The national team has many finalists including Park Young-hyun, Kim Taek-yeon, Jeong Hae-young, and Cho Byung-hyun. However, Ryu Joong-il seems to be still quiet about the player who will be in charge of the team’s “final match.” Then, is there any greed for the team’s finishing pitcher? “I don’t think Taek-yeon or I have any thoughts about that yet. Since our bullpen is so good, I will throw it confidently no matter what situation I go out. I will show good performance in the warm-up match against Cuba,” Park said, clenching his two fists.
He played the most innings since his debut, and for the first time in the semi-playoff, he played three ⅓, but he has no problem with his physical condition. And he is ready to throw “multi-inning” even with the national flag on. “I think this is a little strange. I am in a very good condition, and I am in a good condition,” he said on the aftermath of the multi-inning. “As I have put on the Taegeuk mark, I should throw the ball responsibly. And I hope it will help my team win without caring about the multi-inning.”
Park Young-hyun also assured his team’s victory in a showdown with Mel Rojas Jr., who will play as a teammate of the Dominican Republic in the group league. Asked what he would do if he met Rojas, Park expressed his ambition, saying, “I should catch a strikeout!” He continued, “I am well aware of Rojas’ weaknesses. I have a weakness that only I know. On the contrary, Rojas will know my weaknesses. So even if I get a hit, I will not hit a home run.”
