It was different today! Park Se-woong laughed for the first time in a long time. Instead of a tired bullpen, he pitched hard in 6 innings with 108 pitches

Jun 27, 2024

A game between Lotte and KIA at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 27th. Lotte starter Park Se-woong overcame the crisis of losing the bases with one out in the fifth inning. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.06.27/

Glasses ace is back!

The bullpen must-win team was mobilized for two consecutive days. Park Se-woong fulfilled his responsibilities given to him in a long time in a game that required the starting pitcher's long innings.

Park Se-woong came down the mound after pitching hard with one run in six innings in Game 3 of the week series against the KIA Tigers at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 27th.

It was the first quality start in six games (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) since the Daejeon Hanwha match on May 28. Park Se-woong, whose biggest weapon is a sense of stability that does not rise to a 5-point ERA, even if there are ups and downs. It wasn't this long, hard-wobbled pitcher.

The team situation is that they absolutely want the starting pitcher to throw hard. First of all, there are not many starting pitchers themselves. Injured Charlie Barnes only returns in the second half. Na Kyun-an was also removed from the first team entry due to disciplinary action due to long slump and controversy outside of baseball.

Only two starters, Wilkerson and Park Se-woong, have been given the role since the beginning of the season.

On top of that, the bullpen was also burdened. Lotte and KIA teams drew after a bloody battle in the 12th inning of extra time, in which they exchanged a total of 30 points on the first day of the series. Lotte won on the second day, but after the starting pitcher was replaced early, all three must-win teams were dispatched to keep the victory.

Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung, whom I met before the game, also said, `Park Se-woong should do it. You have to be responsible until the sixth inning," he said, emphasizing his ace-like responsibility.

He did his part for the first time in a long time. Park Se-woong, who finished the top of the first and second innings with three-way errors, only gave up a walk to Seo Geon-chang in the third inning, and continued the no-hit game.

He allowed an RBI double to Na Sung-bum with two outs and a runner on first base in the fourth inning, but he blocked it well without additional runs. The bases loaded with one out in the fifth inning were the biggest crisis, but the crisis management that struck out Kim Do-young and threw Choi Hyung-woo to center field stood out. In the sixth inning, he also blocked the crisis with two outs and runners on the first and second bases well and did his job with 108 pitches.

A game between Lotte and KIA at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 27th. Lotte's Park Se-woong, who is pitching as a starter. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.06.27/

The maximum speed of fastballs (47) came out to 148 kilometers, and he properly blocked KIA batters by mixing sliders (27), curves (14), changeups (12), and folk balls (8).

The end of the first half is near. Park Se-woong's awakening is essential for Lotte to make a mid-range leap. Will this day be the first step.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.