5.2 billion FA Jang Hyun-sik OUT → Save King Cho Sang-woo IN, why did KIA bullpen fall to the bottom
5.2 billion FA Jang Hyun-sik OUT → Save King Cho Sang-woo IN, why did KIA bullpen fall to the bottom
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The bullpen of the KIA Tigers, the defending champion of professional baseball, allowed a shocking upset. The bullpen ERA fell to the bottom of the league.토토사이트
Kia scored five runs in the eighth inning at the game against Kiwoom in Gocheok on Sunday local time to secure a 10-3 victory. With Park Chan-ho's walk, Kim Sun-bin's infield hit (one RBI) and Kim Do-young's sweeping double (three RBIs) at the opportunity to load the bases, the team garnered the win by making a big inning.
Starting pitcher Hwang Dong-ha (one run in five innings), Lee Joon-young (⅓ innings) and Jeon Sang-hyun (one ⅔ inning) pitched in the sixth inning to keep the mound until the seventh inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, left-hander Choi Ji-min took the mound and faced off the first and second hitters at Kiwoom. He failed his duty as he walked Song Seong-moon and Choi Joo-hwan consecutively. The pitcher was replaced by right-hander Kim Geon-guk.
Kim Geon-guk loaded the bases with no outs after a hit by Puig, and caught an out at home when Cadines grounded out to third base. With the bases loaded with one out, Lim Byung-wook hit an RBI timely hit, and the score was quickly narrowed to 10-8 when Kim Tae-jin allowed a grand slam.
Jo Sang-woo took the mound. However, Jo Sang-woo also walked Kim Dong-hyun, struck out Oh Sun-jin, and then walked Lee Yong-gyu again. Kiwoom's batting order went around once, and KIA's bench rushed up Jung Hae-young with runners on first and second bases with two outs.
Jung Hae-young allowed Song Sung-moon to get on base with a walk, a two-out full base crisis, and Choi Joo-hwan to come from behind 10-11 after a two-base hit. He failed to overcome the wall of Choi Joo-hwan, who was strong with five hits and two home runs from 10 times at bat against Jung Hae-young. In the eighth inning, four pitchers Choi Ji-min, Kim Gun-guk, Jo Sang-woo and Jung Hae-young were deployed, and they suffered a shocking upset loss.
The team ranked third in the league with an ERA of 4.98 last year. The team was not far behind Doosan (4.54), which ranks first, and Samsung (4.97), which ranks second. However, Kia's bullpen has the worst ERA (6.23) in the league this year. The team was responsible for 120 innings, the second fewest after Hanwha (118 innings), while its ERA is worse than that of Kiwoom's bullpen (6.16), which ranks 10th in the league.
Kia left the club with a four-year guarantee of 5.2 billion won (4.1 million U.S. dollars) as its must-winner Jang Hyun-sik became an FA in last year's bullpen. Kia recruited Cho Sang-woo, who has experience as a save king, to fill Jang's vacancy in a trade with Kiwoom. Analysts say it has become stronger. Last year, KIA bullpen pitchers pitched 50 to 70 innings, and there was no major overwork.
However, left-hander Kwak Do-gyu (13.50 ERA), who performed well last year, left the club due to an elbow injury in mid-April and was out for the season after undergoing surgery. Left-handers Choi Ji-min (1 win, 4 hold ERA 4.50) and Lee Joon-young (1 win, 4.50 ERA), Pil Seung-jo Jeon Sang-hyun (2 wins, 2 wins, 5 holds ERA 4.30), and Jo Sang-woo (2 wins, 3 losses, 8 holds ERA 3.38), and closing pitcher Jung Hae-young (1 win, 2 losses, 8 saves ERA 2.25) are key players in the bullpen, which is worrisome compared to last year.
On the other hand, Jang Hyun-sik, who threw the most innings (75 ⅓ innings) in the KIA bullpen last year, has 1 loss, 5 saves and an ERA of 1.46 at LG.