“Jimin and Sang-hyun won’t go…”
This season, the KIA Tigers bullpen is likely to be the strongest in recent memory. The results of manager Lee Bum-ho and pitching coach Jeong Jae-hoon’s traffic organization have been of interest. In the opening game against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 23rd, the bullpen was activated in the 6th inning with runners on first and second in a 7-2 to 7-5 deficit.
Lee Beom-ho started the game with Kwak Do-gyu. Then, Jeon Sang-hyun in the seventh, Choi Ji-min in the eighth, and Jeong Jung-young in the ninth pitched one inning of scoreless relief each to end the game. In other words, Jeon Sang-hyun and Choi Ji-min were the main set-up men right in front of Jeong Jung-young.
Manager Lee Beom-ho said before the rain-canceled game against Gwangju Kiwoom on the 24th, “The pitching coach decides the order. In the seventh or eighth inning, Ji-min and Sang-hyun won’t go, and we’ll try to rotate lefties and righties depending on the situation.”
In the seventh and eighth innings, Choi Ji-min would be used against left-handed batters and Jeon Sang-hyun against right-handed batters. However, Lee Bum-ho said, “Sang-hyun doesn’t have a very high batting average against left-handed hitters. I’ll compare the two pitchers, but I don’t think it’s a big deal to put any of them in. I’ll use them in the seventh or eighth inning depending on the situation. The seventh and ninth innings are for the guys with the best pitches. They did a good job last year, so I’m going to stick with them.”
Right in front of them will be Kwak Do-gyu, who will be responsible for stopping the flow of the opponent’s offense. But there are plenty of other bullpen arms who can step in at key times. Last year’s main setup man, sidearm Im Ki-young, and right-hander Jang Hyun-sik, who is in his second year after elbow labrum surgery, have no problem pitching the seventh or eighth innings. In fact, if Jeon Sang-hyun and Choi Ji-min need to rest after pitching two consecutive games, they could be used in the middle. They could be used in the seventh or eighth inning. They could be the main setup men for other teams right now.
Kwak’s role could be filled by another left-handed sub, Kim Dae-yoo. However, Kim 토토 Dae-yoo didn’t have the best pace in the tournament. Right-hander Hwang Dong-ha and another sub, Yoon Jung-hyun, can alternate between long relief and sixth innings.
In fact, a full rotation is possible. No one to throw away. Kia didn’t make any changes to its first-team roster on the 25th. Manager Lee Bum-ho intends to stick with the current lineup for now. For the second team, left-handed one-pointer Lee Jun-young and rookie sidearm Kim Min-ju can be used in the first team at any time.
However, starters Lee Yi-ri and Yoon Young-cheol are not currently in the first team. They will be added to the first team in time for the first pitch of the season. The three catchers will then be reduced to two, and one of the current first-team bullpens will be moved down to the second team.