The KIA Tigers are racing to the top. Last week, they won all six consecutive games against the LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles. They set the target winning rate at 50%, but they won the game. It was lucked, but it proves that KIA’s power is strong. It was thanks to the harmony of the starting pitcher, the bullpen, and the offensive power. Among them, the must-win line showed strong power.
Analysts say that Kia’s bullpen has strengthened in the game against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on Tuesday. Closing pitcher Jung Hae-young took the mound with two outs in the eighth inning with a three-point lead on the previous day, allowed one hit, struck out two and no runs until the ninth inning, and earned seven saves for this season. Jung pitched in three consecutive games including the day when he warmed up in the bullpen (against LG on Sunday), and thus took the rest period in which he did not take the mound.
While leading the game 11-2 with ease, the game was chased down to 11-9 due to sluggish performances by Kim Sa-yoon and Yoon Joong-hyun. The bullpen is in an emergency. Left-hander Kwak Do-gyu, who suddenly appeared in the eighth inning, couldn’t control the ball on the day, so he relieved the crisis of bases loaded with no outs and left the mound. Jeon took the mound and caught No. 4 hitter Noh Si-hwan with a fly ball, and Kim Tae-yeon cooked with a double play by shortstop and deleted the bases loaded.
In the ninth inning, Choi Ji-min easily blocked one inning and kept the win. Even if the closing pitcher was easy, a must-win group appeared to finish the game and secure hold and save. In the process of winning six consecutive games, the must-win groups firmly secured the back door without losing a point. The bullpen baseball, which has continued from the beginning, continues. Closing pitcher Jung Hae-young, Jeon Sang-hyun, Choi Ji-min, Jang Hyun-sik and Kwak Do-kyu are doing their part.
Closing pitcher Jung Hae-young garnered eight saves in eight matches without giving up a single point, leaving two of his 100 saves as the youngest ever. In 11 matches, Jeon has recorded 2-1 loss and 6 holds, ERA of 2.53. He allowed three runs in one match (against Samsung), but has firmly maintained his position as a man in eight matches due to his strong pitching and ball control.
Left-hander Choi Ji-min boasts of outstanding fire fighting capability with one loss, two saves and three holds in 10 games, and ERA of 0.93. Jang has four holds and ERA of 1.04 in 10 games. Although he has slowed down recently, analysts say he has recovered his ball power as the king of holds in 2021. Kwak Do-gyu, who joined the team instead of Lim Ki-young, also had no outs and no outs, but he has recorded four holds and ERA of 0.00 in 11 games. Moreover, Lee Joon-young, who joined the main league belatedly, also contributed by pitching one win, one hold, and ERA of 0.00 in six games.
Last week, Kia`s bullpen ERA came in second with a 2.74. This includes poor performance in the chasing group. Including the weekly performance of just five players, only one run was allowed during 17 innings, which was self-imposed. This is a formidable record of ERA 0.00. He continues to delete innings without allowing any loss when going out. He feels as if he has as many as five finishing pitchers. He is starting well and his team ranks first in batting average (.301).
However, since there are many winning games, there are many close matches and the number of must-win teams is high. Since it is the beginning of the season, it is common to expand the must-win group to five players. The intention was not to rely on specific pitchers. It banned three consecutive games except for the closing. So far, everyone is doing their part and doing well without much difficulty. Still, the possibility of overload is increasing from the middle of the season. This is where management is needed while giving the right rest.
BY: 메이저 토토사이트