The Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization are reorganizing their bullpen. From the composition of the bullpen to the order of appearance. Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho made the decision after his core bullpen struggled last year.
Hanwha held a comfortable 6-1 lead through five innings against SSG in Daejeon on April 1, but suffered a 7-8 shocking loss due to a bullpen collapse. Left-hander Kim Bum-soo gave up a single run in the sixth inning, and then Jang Si-hwan and Park Sang-won gave up three runs apiece in the seventh inning, totaling six runs. Down 6-3 with runners on first and second in the seventh inning, Jang Si-hwan was replaced by Park Sang-won. After giving up a walk to Choi Jung to load the bases, Park gave up a three-run double to Han Yoo-seom to left-center. A blown save tied the game at 6-6. He then gave up an RBI single to Guillermo Heredia to center field for the final run.
Manager Choi Won-ho said, “I think the timing of our pitching change was not bad. It was an inning where Jang Si-hwan gave two strikes, and with two outs and three runs, 스포츠토토 we thought Park Sang-won was a little more competitive. So I put Park up, and it didn’t work out,” he said, admitting to the mistake.
It’s a tricky situation for the manager.
Park Sang-won was a 16-save closer last year, and Kim Bum-soo is the second-best setup man in Hanwha history with 63 career saves. They’ve been proven in the first team for years and have a lot to prove, but Kim is struggling with an ERA in the 7s (7.36) and Park is struggling with an ERA in the 8s (8.31). They’ve never been this good before, and they’ve fallen into a slump around the same time. They’ve both been on the second team for the last month, but they haven’t been able to find their form.
With both pitchers struggling, and Han Seung-hyeok, who had been the closer earlier in the season, being sent down to the second team after a couple of multi-inning collapses, it became necessary to reorganize the closer group. Choi Won-ho said, “Aside from Joo Hyun-hyun (the closer), Lee Min-woo is the best overall. The next problem is the pitcher, but after discussing with (pitching coach Park Seung-min) and talking with the catchers, Kim Kyu-yeon is fine right now.” “I’m thinking of using Jang Min-jae, who can save pitches even if the pitch drops, when it’s important. In the end, I think I and the pitching coach will have to reset the order of the bullpen.”
The game against SSG on the 2nd was the first game to reorganize the bullpen. With Kim Kyu-yeon rested, Choi Won-ho’s key man, Jang Min-jae, entered the game in the fifth inning with runners on first and second with the score tied 3-3. Jang Min-jae took the mound after Hwang Jun-seo, the rookie starter who threw 99 pitches, was pulled. Against Heredia, who was batting first, Jang concentrated on his main weapon, the forkball, and got a fly ball to right field to get out of the jam.
However, the sixth inning was a problem.
Back-to-back singles by Go Myung-joon and Ha Jae-hoon put runners on first and second with no outs. After Lee Ji-young laid down a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Noh Si-hwan made a bold move to third, but it was too late. After a fielder’s choice loaded the bases, SSG brought in pinch-hitter Choo Shin-soo to pinch-hit for Ahn Sang-hyun.
Hanwha then pulled right-hander Jang Min-jae and replaced him with left-hander Lee Chung-ho. Lee, who was called up to the first team on March 29, made his first appearance of the season with the bases loaded and the game tied in the sixth inning. There was a lot of pressure on Lee, who is 30 years old but doesn’t have much first-team experience. However, with Kim Bum-soo continuing to struggle, Hanwha needed a new lefty in the bullpen and took the risk of using Lee Chung-ho in a clutch situation. It was a risky move, but they didn’t have many options.
Lee started with a slider that went low and out of the zone to Shin-Soo Choo. He followed with a two- to four-seam fastball that was all out of the zone. A straight ball scored a pushing run. SSG had regained the lead, 4-3.
It would be the final score of the game.
However, Lee Chung-ho got out of the jam by striking out the next batter, Choi Ji-hoon, on three pitches. After two consecutive pitches to the body induced a strike and a wild swing, 무료 슬롯 Lee struck out the next batter with a low slider. Park then induced a grounder to first base to strand the runner at third. The pushing strike was unfortunate, but it showed that it can be effective against lefties. It was a decent win for Hanwha.
Jang Min-jae, who took the loss, also had two hits, but was unable to get much help from the defense or was unlucky with a wild pitch. The experienced pitcher showed the distribution to stop a hard hitter with a forkball in the clutch. He’ll be a solid middle reliever going forward. It was also a consolation for Korea that all-weather pitcher Lee Tae-yang, who has been struggling with the after-effects of otolithosis, showed signs of recovery in the eighth inning, striking out three in five pitches.