KIA is rehearsing ahead of the season of ‘Left-Handed Plenty’. Regardless of the type of opponent hitter, lefties line up to finish the game.
On the 20th, KIA coach Kim Jong-guk said, “The bullpen is composed mainly of pitchers in good condition. A lefty will also face a right-handed hitter. I will not choose the method of putting in a left-hander just because a left-handed batter comes out.”토토사이트
KIA is forming the same way as last year. Jang Hyeon-sik has completed rehabilitation after elbow surgery and now starts training, returning only in April after the opening, but the composition of Jeon Sang-hyun, Jeong Hae-young and Pil Seung-jo remains unchanged. All three are right-handers.
However, other left-handers have become very rich. Kim Ki-hoon, who returned from military service at the end of last season, Kim Dae-yu, who came to KIA as a free agent (FA) compensation player, and Choi Ji-min, who played in the Australian league for Geelong Korea for the second year before the camp and returned after rapid growth, are the key players. Kim Ki-hoon competed with the selection feeling, but the atmosphere was actually decided by the middle relief.
In the KIA, where all of the core pitchers were right-handers, there was practically only one left-hander in the bullpen, Lee Jun-young. Lee Jun-young made a big success last year, but the pitcher composition was simple, so there was a limit to various bullpen operations. The burden was only added to a few key fighters.
This year, KIA has increased the number of expected pitching staff, especially left-handers. Yoon Young-cheol and Kwak Do-kyu, who are new high school graduates, are also putting their strength into the left-handed group.
KIA is actually testing the bullpen’s left-handed succession in an exhibition game. In particular, he presented an extreme left-handed pitching against LG, which has many left-handed batters.
In the game against LG on the 20th, right-hander Sean Anderson started and pitched 5.1 innings, and Lee Jun-young took the mound after one out in the top of the 6th inning with a 2-1 lead. Kim Ki-hun in the 7th inning, Kim Dae-yu in the 8th inning, and Choi Ji-min in the 9th inning each pitched one inning. Kye Tu-jin’s scoreless pitching allowed KIA to win 3-1.
Prior to the Kiwoom match on the 16th, KIA also played a game with only four lefties by putting Kim Ki-hoon (2 innings), Lee Jun-young (1 innings), and Kim Dae-yu (1 innings) following starter Yun Young-cheol (4 innings). Looking at the number of appearances in the current demonstration game, lefties Kwak Do-kyu, Kim Dae-yu, Lee Jun-young and Choi Ji-min, along with Pil Seung-jo and Jeon Sang-hyun, pitched four games each, and Kim Ki-hoon and Kim Yu-shin threw three games each. Practically left-handers fill the waist. Coach Kim Jong-kook plans to secure a spot in the left-hander centered on Kim Ki-hoon and Choi Ji-min, who will have to be filled until Jang Hyun-shik fully returns.
KIA replaced both foreign pitchers this year with strong pitchers equipped with fastballs. In the back door is Jung Hae-young, who has recorded more than 30 saves for two consecutive years. The key is how to effectively protect the middle between starting and finishing. Lefties dominate the center. It is KIA’s new bullpen that is completely different.