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| The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 12th. Hanwha closer Kim Seo-hyun is cheering after preventing the bases-loaded crisis with two outs in the eighth inning. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.12/ |
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Aren't you supposed to throw 1 inning to wrap up?
A breathtaking ranking battle in the KBO League. There is one landscape that has changed due to this. It's an early start to finish that comes out of nowhere.
Daejeon Hanwha Life Ball Park on the 14th when the Hanwha Eagles and LG Twins played the game of the 「Preview Korean Series」. Hanwha faced a crisis in the eighth inning when it was leading 2-1. Han Seung-hyuk, a must-win group, faced a crisis with the bases loaded with one out. Manager Kim Kyung-moon threw a winning move. I'm going to leave Kim Seo-hyun with five out-counts.
Kim Seo-hyun gave up a sacrifice fly RBI to Park Dong-won. Blon Save. However, it was a Blon save like a save. The flow was in an upset mood, because it was also a success to tie it. Because Kim Seo-hyun blocked it, Hanwha was able to score a 2-2 draw after the extended match. As the ranking fight continues to intensify in the future, it is unknown how this one draw will affect the winning rate.
Kim Seo-hyun was in charge of one ⅔ inning until the ninth inning. What is noteworthy, however, is that he pitched more than one inning in two consecutive games. Kim Seo-hyun also pitched one ⅓ inning against the Doosan Bears on the 12th. This means that he took the mound during the crisis in the eighth inning. As many as four games have pitched more than one inning in the last seven games.
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| Lotte-KT match held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 11th. Park Young-hyun, who took the mound in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and allowed a turnaround, is disappointed. Suwon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.6.11/ |
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It's been a long time since modern baseball has specialized in the division of pitchers. Although selection is said to be the most important, the importance of finishing positions is also being highlighted. Usually, he throws the last inning. It's short but intense. It is said that it is as difficult as a complete game if you throw every pitch with all your strength under the mental pressure of 'I can turn the game upside down because of me'.
Usually, when the starter plays five to seven innings, the winning bullpen blocks the remaining innings one inning each, and finishes at the end. However, in the KBO League recently, closer pitchers are taking the mound very frequently in the eighth inning.
Kim Seo-hyun is not the only one. In the case of Park Young-hyun (KT), who is ranked first with 20 saves, three of the last seven games have been pitched in one ⅓ inning. The game against the Lotte Giants on the 12th gave up five runs (one earned run) in ⅔ innings and threw as many as 38 pitches. Jung Hae-young, who has 17 saves, has also passed one inning in three of the last seven games, two of which have pitched as many as two innings. Among the players at the top of the save, Kim Won-joong (Lotte) and Cho Byung-hyun (SSG) are guaranteed one-inning routines.
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| KBO League KIA and Samsung match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 11th. KIA Jung Hae-young is pitching. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2025.06.11/ |
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You can say how hard it is to pitch one inning anyway, come out a little early and take on one or two more batters. However, entering the middle of the eighth inning is the opponent's chance, that is, going into a huge stress situation, and after blocking it, going into practice pitching to prevent another full inning is said to be the difference between mental and physical consumption.
It's okay to play one game every now and then, but if this situation accumulates, the closer's physical strength will fall without knowing, which will inevitably be a burden on the long-term race. Perhaps that's why Park Young-hyun collapsed disastrously against Lotte on the 12th, and Jung Hae-young also showed abnormal signals, such as hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning against the NC Dinos on the 14th. Kim Seo-hyun, who was overwhelmed, has also recently increased his number of hits. On the 12th, the game against the Doosan Bears had three hits and won a save.
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| Lotte-KT match held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 12th. Kim Won-joong took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning, but he is disappointed after allowing a tie. Suwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.6.12/ |
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There are many causes. Like KT, Son Dong-hyun's injury has no reliable bullpen in the eighth inning, forcing him to pull more. In addition, the ranking fight is fiercer than ever this season. Every game is a final. There is no room for pitching management. According to managers' calculation that they must catch games that can be caught unconditionally, the number of pitching innings by closer pitchers is increasing. Indeed, what kind of performance will be made this summer when each team's finishing starts to get hot. And, who will keep his pace until the end of the season and present the team with the championship.
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| The KBO League match between SSG and Samsung held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 3rd. Cho Byung-hyun of SSG is pitching. Incheon=Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song @sportschosun.com/2025.06.03/ |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
