"Objection will explode no matter what." Yang Hyun-jong, the 'big pitcher,' is bragging... The only request he made was?
"Objection will explode no matter what." Yang Hyun-jong, the 'big pitcher,' is bragging... The only request he made was?
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Excellent aces were at the center of the revival of Korean baseball. Outstanding pitchers such as Ryu Hyun-jin (38·Hanwha), Yoon Seok-min (39), Kim Kwang-hyun (37·SSG), Yang Hyun-jong (37) and so-called "Ryu Yoon-Kim Yang" popped out simultaneously, and they led the national team's performance by taking responsibility for the most important games on the international stage.토토사이트
Coincidentally, the decline in the national team's performance is apparently due to the absence of starting pitchers to replace them. Nevertheless, Yang, one of the main players who led his heyday, believes that he has good enough juniors and that they will lead the national team to the mound in the future. Yang recently appeared on Yoon Seok-min's YouTube channel "Cyber Yoon Seok-min" and talked about the names of Lee Eui-ri (22, KIA), Kwak Bin (26, Doosan), and Koo Chang-mo (28, NC) when asked if he had any notable juniors.
All three players have proven their strong pitching capabilities in the league, and expectations are high that they will contribute significantly to the national team going forward. Among them, it is inevitable that they have more affection for Lee, who is a junior in the same team. When Yoon Seok-min said, "Honestly, when I was young, I think Lee is better than Yang, who is younger than Yang," Yang responded without hesitation, saying, "I'm much better. RPM and movement per minute are outrageous." Indeed, Yang expressed his sense of pride in his junior players' abilities.
Lee Eui-ri graduated from Gwangju Il High School and received the first nomination from KIA in 2021, and his team received high expectations as the "next ace to succeed Yang Hyun-jong." Yang Hyeon-jong sees Lee Eui-ri's potential closest and is confident that he can grow into an ace for the national team. Yang Hyeon-jong explains that he can throw a fast ball over 150km/h with his left-hander, and his ball power itself is outstanding as well as his speed.
In terms of his overall career, Lee Eui-ri is walking silently. Lee, who joined the starting rotation since 2021, when he was a rookie season, pitched 154 innings in 29 games in 2022, recording 10 wins and 10 losses and a 3.86 ERA, and at once gained double-digit wins. In 2023, he also performed well in 28 games with 11 wins, 7 losses and a 3.96 ERA. He is also wearing a national team uniform, and he is a young player who stands out along with Koo Chang-mo as a left-hander.
However, it is regrettable that his ball control is unstable compared to his overwhelming pitching capability. Lee recorded 9.69 strikeouts per nine innings in the KBO league. The figure is comparable to that of foreign players. However, he has 5.42 walks per nine innings in total. In order to be evaluated as good, the number should be below three, if not higher than three, and considering the number of strikeouts, it is regrettable that the number should be lowered to the early three. There is a wide gap until the goal.
Yang stresses that he can't do it all at once. That's why everyone needs to be patient with his objection. "As a team, I have seen Yang since he was in his second year (he joined the Major League in his rookie season). People have high expectations because his pitching is so good," Yang said. "He might ask, 'Why can't I do this?' but he is 22 years old now. He has his own mentality and his own thoughts. From a third party's perspective, people around him seem to think too much about loyalty.
However, another strength of Yang is that he does not get stressed out under such circumstances. "This is why I think I highly value him. His ball power is ridiculous, and he also showed good performance in the national team anyway," Yang said. "His expectations are high. It would be disappointing even if he wins 10 games," Yoon said. "Since he has to win 20 games, everyone would ask him, 'Why can't he win 20 games?' He is now 22. "I hope we can wait and see him," he added. "He will burst out laughing no matter what. He is 22 years old now, which is ridiculous in two to three years."
After being hamstrung by an elbow injury in mid-2024 season, Lee is recovering smoothly. According to Kia Tigers' general manager Shim Jae-hak, Lee is recovering faster than his team thought. Currently, he is in a phased-in pitching program (ITP), and his physical condition is fine. "We are setting a time in June when he will join the first team after completing his rehabilitation work. The pace of his rehabilitation is faster than expected," Shim said. Attention is focusing on whether Lee will be able to calm down and show off his potential as expected by all fans.