Professional baseball KIA Tigers bullpen pitcher Jeon Sang-hyun is keeping the back door firmly in charge of temporary finishing. He is filling the injury gap of closer Jung Hae-young well.
In the game between Kia Tigers and LG Twins held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Sunday, Kia had a chance to load the bases with no outs in the first inning, and led the game 3-0 due to consecutive sacrifice fly by Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-bum, and timely hit by Kim Sun-bin. Since then, both teams have continued their march of zero, and Kia added one more run in the eighth inning by banking on Choi Won-joon’s stolen bases on the second and third bases. In fact, the game has turned sour.
However, Choi Ji-min, who took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning, had a walk and a hit, putting him on the first and second bases at risk. Jeon Sang-hyun, who threw 32 pitches in two innings the previous day, took the mound.
Before the game, head coach Lee Bum-ho said of Jeon Sang-hyun, “I try to give him a rest today, but he said he really wants to go out if it’s a save situation. He said it’s okay because he took four to five days off earlier.” When Choi Ji-min’s difficulty led to a save situation, Jeon Sang-hyun eventually took the mound for two consecutive days.
Jeon treated Moon Sung-joo, the first batter, with a frontal grounder to the second baseman, and secured two outs with a double play to the second base and the first base. Kim Do-young, the third baseman, missed a ground ball that Austin missed, with two outs and runners on the third base. The score was 4-1. Moon Bo-kyung then gave a hit to the left-center field, making it the first and third bases with two outs.
At that time, manager Lee Bum-ho visited the mound in person and called in pitchers, catchers, and infielders to break the current trend. Jeon had a 4-2 hit to the left by Park Dong-won. Oh Ji-hwan was walked at the full count, loading the bases with two outs. Now, a single hit was on the verge of tying the game. He handled Koo with a fly ball to the center field, continuing his six-game winning streak.
After the game, Jeon Sang-hyun said, “I threw two innings yesterday and took the mound for two consecutive days today, but I’m not tired or not. I’m preparing my team to take the mound whenever I need it, and I want to do my part.”
Kim was outscored 4-2 due to Kim Do-young’s error, leading to the bases loaded with two outs. Jeon said, “Mistake is part of the game. I try not to dwell on it and throw my ball because it can come out anytime. It was the same today, and I focused my best on the match against the batters.”
“When the coach called the players (on the mound) and asked them to throw it confidently because it was okay to tie the game. Catcher Kim Tae-gun also came to the mound and advised them to throw it confidently because you have to block it anyway. There were a lot of runners, but I think the fact that I tried to throw it with as much confidence as possible led to a good result,” he said.
Jeon Sang-hyun said, “With player Jung Hae-young out, all bullpen pitchers are trying to make up for Hae-young’s absence. As I take the mound at an important moment, I will try to be a reliable player who prevents the second half of the game well.” 메이저사이트
Jeon has recorded two wins and two saves in four games since closing pitcher Jung Hae-young left the team. He pitched multiple innings in two consecutive games against Samsung, recording one win and one save, and two consecutive games against LG in three consecutive games, recording one win and one save. He has shown stability in four games, five ⅔ innings, four hits, one walk, two strikeouts and two runs (one earned run) with an ERA of 1.59.
Meanwhile, Jung’s return is expected to be delayed a little more. Jung took the mound in 32 games this season, recording 2 wins, 2 losses and 21 saves with a 2.25 ERA. He became the youngest player to make 100 saves in KBO League history against Kiwoom on April 25. However, he voluntarily left the mound due to an injury during the match against Hanwha on June 23, and was excluded from the first-team roster after being diagnosed with rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder.
Lee Bum-ho does not plan to rush Jung’s return. “I think it will take about 10 more days. Perfect return is the most important thing in the second half of the year,” Lee said, setting July 20 as the timing of his return.
