It’s been a month.
KIA Tigers closer Jung Hae-young (22) is still at Challengers Field in Hampyeong. He’s been making appearances in the Futures (2nd) League lately. He has pitched 8⅓ innings in five games. His ERA is 7.56, which is quite high. It’s a rebuilding period for the Futures, where the focus is more on content than results, but a breakthrough is still elusive.
KIA designated Jung Hae-young for assignment on the 29th of last month. The focus has been on fixing the issues that were exposed by Jung, who went 3-1 with a 6.44 ERA in 20 games and 18⅓ innings over the first two months of the season. The goal was to erase the ups and downs of his pitching and regain his form.스포츠토토
After recording 11 saves in 2020, her rookie year, Jeong became a dominant closer the following year. Following her 34 saves in 2021, she recorded 32 saves last year, breaking the 30-save mark for the second straight year. He had a rough start to the year, but it was widely expected that he would readjust and bounce back soon. However, even after 10 days, there was no news of a call-up, and now it has come.
On the 20th, a game between Lotte and KIA of the KBO League was held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. KIA’s Jung Hae-young takes the field for training. Busan=Song Jung-heon 기자songs@sportschosun.com/2023.04.20/
“We are constantly receiving training and game reports from the Future Team,” said KIA head coach Kim Jong-kook about Jung Hae-young’s condition. “There is a feeling that his condition is not yet up to par. We have to wait and see.”
KIA has been operating its bullpen with a group closing system since Jung Hae-young was expunged from the first team. Choi Ji-min (20) and Lim Ki-young (30) have been filling the void with pivotal roles, but the month-long closing gap is not without concerns that it could increase the burden on the bullpen. As we head into the final stretch of the first half of the season, we can’t help but think about how the accumulated fatigue will affect the second half. However, it is also true that Kia has no choice but to wait for a full recovery, as the damage will only be compounded if Jeong Hae-young, who came up in the absence of a complete overhaul, tastes failure again. “It’s hard to say that he’s done with the first half of the season,” Kim said, adding, “We can call him up at any time if we think he’s in good shape and condition.”
Meanwhile, the return of Kim Dae-yoo, 32, who was expunged from the first team along with Jung Hae-young, will take some time. “Kim Dae-yu was slightly injured during the Futures game. He recently started tossing,” Kim said, adding, “His return may be a little longer.”