Jung Hae-young, the sole king of relief, was the lineage of Sun Dong-yeol and Lim Chang-yong. What's left is 'KS Rinse Pitcher.'
Jung Hae-young, the sole king of relief, was the lineage of Sun Dong-yeol and Lim Chang-yong. What's left is 'KS Rinse Pitcher.'
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KIA closer Jung Hae-young (23) is one of the few cases who adapted to the finishing position very early even though he is young.토토사이트
After graduating from Gwangju Jeil High School and receiving the first nomination by Kia in 2020, Jeong took advantage of the team's circumstances to assume the position to finish in 2021, and immediately made 34 saves to secure a solid performance. This is the case that he settled down as the closing pitcher in a year. He is also the youngest player to have made 100 saves in the league's history.
Jung had 32 saves in 2022 and 23 saves in 2023. He had quite a few saves, but fell one step short of the "relief king" of the Korean pro baseball league. Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung) was the king of relief in the league in 2021. He had 44 saves, which made him an "inexhaustible man." At the time, he ranked third after Kim Won-joong (Lotte, 35 saves). He also ranked third in 2022, trailing only Ko Woo-suk (LG, 42 saves) and Kim Jae-yoon (kt, 33 saves). Probably, Kia was not a powerhouse representing the league at the time, and had relatively few chances to save.
Jung Hae-young, who faced a crisis last year due to ups and downs, became the final winner of the Redemption King race by combining her team's good performance and her skills this year. Although the season is not over yet, even if the players below Jung Hae-young make saves in all the rest of the team's games, they cannot overtake Jung Hae-young.
Despite having been sidelined for more than a month due to shoulder pain, Chung firmly utilized the save opportunities that he had found. His team also led the league, giving Chung many chances to take the mound. Jung pitched 48 ⅔ innings in 51 games this year, posting 2 wins, 3 losses, 31 saves, 1 hold, and an ERA of 2.59. He only had three blon saves. This is the third season for Jung to have 30 or more saves.
He pitched the fewest innings among the "relief king" in recent years, and became the "relief king" efficiently. After entering the U.S. driveline before the season, he effectively formed himself and maintained a sense of stability until the end of the season by dispelling suspicions about his decreased speed, which had once been a concern. Now that he has recorded more than 100 saves, he has gained a considerable amount of experience. He also demonstrates his know-how to overcome crisis situations well, which gives expectations for his golden age.
It is also pleasing to hear that the line of relief kings has been handed down in the Tigers franchise. There are only two players in the Tigers' history who have won the title of relief king, namely Sun Dong-yeol and Lim Chang-yong. One of the best pitchers in the history of the KBO League, Sun was crowned the relief king in 1993 and 1995. Since then, he has advanced to Japan and achieved great success. Lim Chang-yong had the career of being the relief king for the Tigers in 1998.
In the 26 years since Lim Chang-yong, none of the Tigers' players have won the relief king. At one point, foreign players such as Anthony and Asensio were used as the finishing touches due to weak finishing, Yoon Seok-min's starting resources were used as the finishing touches, and there were difficult times, such as trading from other teams if they were as urgent as Kim Se-hyun. However, Jung Hae-young recorded 34 saves in 2021 to become the first 30 save pitcher since Yoon Seok-min, and finally released the resentment of the relief king.
Jung Hae-young, who joined Kia when it was at the bottom of the standings, has no record of taking the postseason yet. In 2021, when he stepped up to the finish line, he fell to the bottom without going to the postseason, and although there was a wild card game in 2022, he was eliminated after losing to KT in the first round. Last year, he also failed to play in the postseason. This year's Korean Series is certain to be the stage for Jung's postseason debut. If he becomes the last pitcher to confirm Kia's combined championship, it will be his best year for him personally.