He is a must-win group, but ERA 15.00? Team bullpen 3rd place → 9th place, group slump, what is the reason

Apr 03, 2025

He is a must-win group, but ERA 15.00? Team bullpen 3rd place → 9th place, group slump, what is the reason
The match between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. KIA Jeon Sang-hyun is coming down from the mound. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /25.04.02/



The winning team, bullpen agent. KIA Tigers' bullpen concerns continue.

KIA suffered a come-from-behind loss of 2-4 at home against the Samsung Lions at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. KIA, which took a 2-0 lead with Patrick Wisdom's first two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning, was hit by Kim Young-woong in the top of the fourth inning and allowed a 2-2 tie.

The result was in the top of the eighth inning. a 2-2 tie. KIA bench selected Cho Sang-woo as the second pitcher in the seventh inning after starter Kim Do-hyun pitched two runs in six innings and withdrew, blocking one inning well. And Jeon Sang-hyun took the mound in the eighth inning as the third pitcher.




The most stable choice. But the game didn't go as planned. Jeon Sang-hyun faced Kim Ji-chan, the first batter, and allowed a walk because his control did not go as he wanted. Lee Jae-hyun's sacrifice bunt resulted in one out and runners on second base. KIA battery chose the next batter Park Byung-ho instead of Koo Ja-wook. Koo Ja-wook was sent off with four pitches on purpose and filled first base.

He is a must-win group, but ERA 15.00? Team bullpen 3rd place → 9th place, group slump, what is the reason
The match between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. KIA Jeon Sang-hyun is coming down from the mound. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /25.04.02/
Jeon Sang-hyun, who faced Park Byung-ho with runners on first and second bases with one out, had difficulty controlling his ball again this time. Park Byung-ho couldn't miss the fastball in the middle of the 3B1S unfavorable count. He bowed his head, allowing a timely two-run double to right-center to the batter who skipped and won. In the end, Jeon Sang-hyun went down the mound without finishing the inning, and the KIA bench replaced the pitcher again. No counter-argument occurred, and KIA lost 2-4.

The KIA bullpen's appearance at the beginning of this season is not the prowess shown in last year's winning season. In particular, Jeon Sang-hyun, a key resource in KIA's must-win group, has been sluggish with one win, two losses and a 15.00 ERA in four games since the opening. On March 28, the very previous mound, he suffered a hardship by allowing three runs while catching two out-counts against the Hanwha Eagles, and the loss in two consecutive games is fatal for a bullpen pitcher.




He is a must-win group, but ERA 15.00? Team bullpen 3rd place → 9th place, group slump, what is the reason
Coach Lee Bum-ho, who allowed a turnaround in the bottom of the eighth inning at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th, is bending his head. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.3.29/
It's not just Jeon Sang-hyun's slump. Recently, the overall team's bullpen has been sluggish. Last year, KIA team's bullpen ERA in the regular season was 4.98, ranking third overall. This season, however, has been ranked ninth, soaring to 7.88.

The bullpen members have not changed much. Except for Jang Hyun-sik's transfer and filling the position with Cho Sang-woo, there is no vacancy. However, overall, the pitches of key bullpen pitchers have not yet risen. KIA has been overturned in the second half of recent games and has lost a lot of games. Even from a long-term perspective, the aftereffects are bound to be great. The recovery of bullpen pitchers' condition will be an essential prerequisite for KIA's rise.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.