The good pace through May has faltered in the summer. Here’s how KIA manager Kim Jong-kook views ‘big pitcher’ Yang Hyun-jong (KIA Tigers).
The Tigers host the Lotte Giants in the first game of a weekend series at Gwangju’s Kia Champions Field on April 28.
Through May, Kim was on a roll, going 3-1 with a 2.29 ERA in eight games and 51 innings pitched, and five quality starts (six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs). However, he faltered in June, going 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA, and hasn’t fared much better in July, going 1-2 with a 4.02 ERA.
The concern is that it’s getting harder to see quality starts than wins and losses. In nine games from June to July, he had only one quality start (6 innings, 1 run, 0 earned runs against the KT Wiz on June 24). There’s not even one in July.
Yang Hyun-jong had pitched well the day before against the NC Dinos, allowing four runs in 5⅔ innings. The KIA bats, on the other hand, were even more contrasting, as they were locked down by NC starter Pedi for seven innings of five-hit ball.
In particular, Yang Hyun-jong was pulled in the sixth inning after giving up back-to-back singles to Kwon Hee-dong, Dotae-hoon, and Park Se-hyuk, and an RBI single to Kim Han-byul.
Coach Kim Jong-kook focused on the walks. “Hits can be hit, but the final score is a bit unfortunate. We need to reduce our strikeouts,” he emphasized.
“With the long break, he might be physically strong, but his senses might not be as good. You have to cut down on the unnecessary walks. If you look at Panoni and Sanchez, their ERAs are low because they don’t give up too many walks. The starters need to be more aggressive with their pitches and innings.”먹튀검증
Kim also talked about Choi Ji-min, who allowed a walk-off home run against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 25th, saying, “He’s not a mentally weak player. It’s a home run, it can be hit. (Jason) Martin hit it well. I hope he throws with more confidence today or tomorrow,” he said, emphasizing that he was disappointed with the walk to Park Geon-woo.
Lee was the starting pitcher for the day. Kim said, “Lee has good stuff, but it’s important to have a steady delivery. Of course, he knows that. I want him to be aggressive.”
