“(Jang) Hyun-sik has played forty games…”
It must be several times harder than usual for Kia Tigers closer Jang Hyun-sik, 29, these days. Closer Jung Hae-young is gone, and main left-handed set-up man Choi Ji-min is out due to fatigue. Jang Hyun-sik, who has been in charge of the sixth and seventh innings this season, will have to serve as the main setup man in front of closer Jeon Sang-hyun along with sidearm Im Ki-young.
Jang Hyun-sik pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Gwangju SSG Landers on Thursday, striking out three and walking none. Sure, there was a split accounting, but it wiped the previous day’s nightmare clean. On the 13th, he gave up five runs on three hits and one walk in 0.1 innings against the Gwangju SSG in a 9-15 comeback loss.
Actually, it could happen. Jang Hyun-sik has appeared in 49 of Kia’s 89 games through 14 games and has pitched 47 innings. Lee Bum-ho said, “Hyun-sik has played forty or fifty games. It’s about one game every two games…” But to be more precise, it’s more than one game every two games.
Furthermore, the amount of high-pressure situations he pitches in takes a huge toll on his psychological and physical energy. His record of 2-3, 10-10, and a 5.12 ERA in 48 games through 13 days is mediocre, but it’s far from ordinary. There’s a dedication that doesn’t show up on the record. There are many games where he didn”t have to go up there, but he did, and he kept other pitchers from draining their energy.
Jang Hyun-sik’s health is important. There have been a lot of health risks on the KIA mound this season, and the bullpen has also seen a lot of turnover 카지노사이트 recently. This is on pace for 69 games and 76.2 innings in 2021. Of course, Jang Hyun-sik had a great season in 2022, but he was unable to avoid elbow labrum surgery after the 2023 season. Therefore, Lee Bum-ho also has his own management system, including a strict three-game pitching ban. However, Kia is in first place, so he has to pitch a lot.
Kia scored three runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings and then put together a big seven-run eighth inning to win 13-4, but Jang Hyun-sik’s steady hand in the middle of the game helped them come back. Kim Dae-yoo, who has struggled this season, also had a solid outing. The Kia bullpen has been struggling since June, but on this day, they showed some pride.
Jang Hyun-sik said, “I was very disappointed with yesterday’s match, so it was good to make up for it today and even better that the team won. I don’t feel tired yet because the team managed well in the training part. I’m ready to play whenever the team needs me,” he said.