The 5.2 billion FA, which was blocked by snow and rain, is finally the first real game. However, he hit a batter with no experience in the first team and a home run. Will he be able to reach the first team even with the maximum speed of 142km in the opening game?
Mar 20, 2025
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Jang Hyun-sik took the mound in relief in the Futures League against SSG Landers in Ganghwa on the 20th and recorded two hits and two runs in one inning, including a home run.
Jang Hyun-sik, who was unable to take the mound due to snow and rain, was finally able to take the mound on the 20th, two days before the opening of the regular league. He became the second pitcher after starting pitcher Lim Chan-kyu in the bottom of the seventh inning with a big 8-0 lead.
Jang Hyun-sik, who allowed a double to the middle wall for the second pitch to lead No. 6 Ahn Sang-hyun, caught his first out count with a fly to right field for the third and fourth consecutive fouls following the first and second balls with No. 7 Kim Chan-hyung. He handled No. 8 Kim Kyu-min with a fly to left field with one out and third base to make it to two outs, and the third baseman did not tag up due to the short hitting. Afterwards, Jang Hyun-sik faced Seok Jung-woo No. 9, and it was reasonable to throw the third pitch in 2B. a two-run home run over the left fence.
No. 1 Lee Seung-min was caught on a fly to right field to end the inning.
Jang Hyun-sik, who contributed to the team's victory as a mid-term pitcher at KIA last year, earned his first FA qualification and chose to transfer with an exceptional contract with LG with a total guarantee of 5.2 billion won for four years. Originally, he was scheduled to take charge of the setup man, but as closer Yoo Young-chan's elbow injury made it difficult to put him in the first half, head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop selected Jang Hyun-sik as a new closer.
However, Jang Hyun-sik tripped at the end of Arizona camp and suffered a right ankle injury, and has been rehabilitating in Korea since then. Recently, he tried to check whether he registered for the first team in the opening game through a real game, but the weather did not help.
The second-tier game was canceled due to rain on the 16th, and the first-tier exhibition game against the NC Dinos on the 18th was canceled due to snow. In the end, everyone had to control their condition only by pitching in the bullpen.
Jang Hyun-sik met with reporters after pitching in the bullpen on the 18th and said, `When I pitched today, it was the best thing I ever did. I'm so glad that I got a good feeling ahead of the opening," he said, indicating that he was ready.
Still, it is necessary to check how much ball power will come out of the actual pitching, so LG decided to take the mound in the Futures League game against SSG on the 20th and make the final decision.
However, the results of the first game were not very good. It was in contrast to Jang Hyun-sik's pitching because starter Lim Chan-kyu pitched three hits and no runs in six innings. Jang Hyun-sik, who sprayed 18 balls on the day, did not have good control with nine strikes and nine balls. The restraint wasn't very good either.
He has not measured his speed, but Jang Hyun-sik's maximum fastball speed was 142km. Compared to spraying a fastball around 150km when it's good, it should be considered that the fastball speed has not yet risen.
How will the LG coaching staff and manager Yeom Kyung-yeop judge the pitching on the day. There are three paths. You can raise your ball speed while pitching in the second team, and then put it in the first team, or you can raise your ball speed by playing an intermediate game in the first team. If it is judged that the ball is okay even if the ball speed is low, it can be finished in the first team immediately.
I'm curious about director Yeom's decision.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
