For the KIA Tigers, the leader in professional baseball who are facing mound management difficulties,
the bullpen staff they most need right now is a pitcher who can take responsibility for three out counts.
KIA will have to hold out for the time being with three starting pitchers,
Hyeon-jong Yang, James Nail, and Young-cheol Yoon, due to the elbow injury of Will Crowe,
who played as the first starter, and the departure of left-handed pitcher Lee Ui-ri, who is also recovering from elbow pain. 파워볼사이트
Crow was diagnosed with partial damage to his elbow ligaments,
so KIA must consider the possibility of having to replace him with another foreign pitcher in the worst case scenario.
A big hole appeared in the starting lineup that had supported KIA’s lead,
putting a strain on the bullpen.
KIA, which has used the tactic of ‘cutting off’ innings by mobilizing all available personnel in winning games,
is expected to rely more on the bullpen for the time being due to the anxiety of the starting pitchers.
However, it is not easy to manage the pitching lineup because there is no right-handed pitcher who can cleanly cover one inning.
The left-handed batting specialist trio of Kwak Do-gyu, Lee Jun-young, and Choi Ji-min are doing their part to some extent,
but the performance of the right-hander duo of Jang Hyun-sik and Jeon Sang-hyeon is not up to expectations.
Jang Hyun-sik and Jeon Sang-hyun’s average pitching innings per game is less than one inning.
In addition, Jeon Sang-hyun, who was diagnosed with a leg bruise after being hit by SSG Landers’ Guillermo Heredia’s batted ball on the 10th,
needs some more time to regain his normal condition.
Compared to SSG, where a solid setup man named Noh Kyung-eun is very active, the Samsung Lions,
who are supported by two right-handed veterans in Lim Chang-min and Kim Jae-yoon.
The NC Dinos, who have formed a new winning team with two fast-ball right-handed pitchers in Kim Jae-yeol and Han Jae-seung,
KIA’s right-handed setup man’s weakness is even more severe. It stands out.
Regardless of left and right-handers, KIA relief pitchers’ excessive walks have reached a dangerous level.
As of the 13th, KIA bullpen pitchers allowed 93 walks, the second most after SSG (101).
Choi Ji-min (15), Kwak Do-gyu (13), and Jang Hyun-sik (12) gave up a lot of walks in that order,
so they were often caught in the second half of the game.