“It was a bad season” after setting the 170-inning mark for the ninth straight year… Why blame the pitcher?
“It was a failed season”.
KIA Tigers pitcher Yang Hyun-jong has defined his season as a failure, even though it was a successful one. He started the season finale against the NC Dinos on April 17 and pitched seven innings of one-run ball to earn his ninth win of the season. It was the ninth straight year he failed to win 10 games. However, after the sixth inning, he reached 170 innings, extending his record of eight consecutive 10-win seasons by one year.
The year was eventful. Through May, he was an ace with a sub-2 ERA, but in June, he suddenly gave up nine runs and struggled. It was the worst performance of his career. Both his velocity and command were shaky. He took some time to recharge in the second team. However, in September, he regained his ace mode and returned to being an innings-eater.
In the final game, he was the undisputed ace of the tournament and was applauded by the 10,000 fans in attendance. When he walked off after the seventh inning, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. It was a consolation prize for the team that finished in sixth place and was not invited to the fall baseball tournament. It was a 170-inning streak that gave him confidence and expectations for next season.
After the game, Yang Hyun-jong said, “I finished the season well with a grateful heart because many fans came and supported me until the last game. I set a meaningful career record for me personally, but I finished in sixth place. I’m most sorry that we couldn’t play the most important fall baseball. It was a disappointing season for me personally and for the team,” he said.
I had a tough time personally. After being a dominant ace through May, she struggled in early June, giving up a lot of runs and causing some concern. However, in September, 먹튀검증토토사이트 he returned to ace mode and finished strong. “I struggled in the middle of the season, but I tried to do my best on the mound. I think we need to take this year as a mirror and play important games next year,” he said.
The starter expressed her gratitude to her bullpen, including Lim Ki-young. “I wanted to tell you, the starters go out every five days. You prepare your body accordingly, but the middle pitchers suffered too much. There were a lot of games where the starters were shaky, and the middle relievers did a good job of closing and holding on. I think that’s why we finished sixth. I’m very grateful.”
He also referred to his season as a failure. Because he failed in fall baseball. “I felt a lot of things this year. The younger players supported me well when I had a tough time in the second team. I think I can use the memories of this year to help me through the tough times next year. I think it was a disappointing season because we fell short, even though we had a lot of meaningful records. It doesn’t mean anything if you can’t play fall baseball. The most important thing is the team’s performance. I will be more focused and do my best in the 144 games next year and show a good performance.”
Along with the disappointment of falling short of 10 wins, he also revealed his goal to play 170 innings for the 10th consecutive year next year. “I set a goal of 170 innings and I’m glad I did my best, but I’m still disappointed with the 10 wins. I would have been happy with eight wins, but I’m more disappointed with nine. My goal was to break Lee Kang-chul’s record (10 wins in 10 consecutive years) one by one. I think I’m still not good enough. I will throw 170 innings next year,” he said.