“He was a game changer.”
As of the 26th, Lotte is at the bottom of the team with an ERA of 5.48. The team starting pitcher’s average ERA is also 5.52, which is ninth, and Samsung, which is in 10th place, is 5.53, which is practically the lowest.
It is no exaggeration to say that the only reliable pitcher in the Lotte starting pitching staff is Na Kyun-an. Nevertheless, Lotte has been on the rise with 5 wins and 1 loss over the past week, and in particular, it is still continuing its 4-game winning streak while sweeping 3 consecutive weekend games against NC.
How could Lotte be on the rise despite the collective sluggishness of the starting pitching staff? First, let’s turn the clock back to April 20th. With Lotte and KIA facing each other with 1 win and 1 loss, both teams played the last game of three consecutive matches during the week. Lotte starting pitcher Dan Strayley. Strayley was Lotte’s first starter, but he suffered from a lot of walks in the top of the 3rd inning, and eventually had to be replaced early in the 4th inning in a safe first base situation.
The pitcher who took the mound with the runner left behind by Strayley was left-hander Kim Jin-wook. Kim Jin-wook faced a first-out and second-base crisis due to pitcher Hyo-sang Joo’s sacrifice bunt, but succeeded in ‘recovery’ by striking out Ji-hyeok Ryu with three pitches in the second out. Kim Jin-wook’s perfect pitching, which allowed him to strike out 4 without getting a single hit in 3 innings, gave Lotte a chance to win, winning 5-3 and holding the winning series in their arms.
The next day, on the 21st, Lotte coach Larry Sutton responded to Long Relief Kim Jin-wook’s strong fight, “If I were to describe Kim Jin-wook’s performance in one word, I would have no choice but to say ‘fantastic.’ He played a role in not only transitioning but also connecting Pil Seung-jo. He did an outstanding job.”
It was the Changwon NC game on the 23rd that Kim Jin-wook’s true value was demonstrated once again. As soon as starting pitcher Park Se-woong stepped onto the mound at the end of the 6th inning, Kim Sung-wook hit a solo home run, and Lotte had to allow a 0-3 lead. Considering that Lotte batting line was hit by Lee Yong-jun until the 6th inning, additional runs were directly related to defeat.
So this time, Kim Jin-wook went to the probation. A fastball with a maximum velocity of 146 km and a curve also worked as a deciding ball, blocking two innings without a run. Again, there were no hits, and all he allowed was two walks.메이저놀이터
With Kim Jin-wook’s good pitching, Lotte was able to get a glimpse of the opportunity to turn around, and finally was able to produce a picturesque 5-3 turnaround by scoring a large number of 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning.
Coach Sutton said, “Seo Jun-won is no longer on the team, and Lee Min-seok was out for the season, so we had to find a player to fill the role. Now Kim Jin-wook is showing outstanding performance. There are times when it is necessary to change in an inning. Especially in a situation where the score difference is not large, the role of the long relief is important to continue the game. And that way, we can connect to the winning group.”
Kim Jin-wook, who pitched in 7 games this year and played 9 innings, shows excellent pitching with an average ERA of 0.00 with 1 win and 1 hold. His walks allowed 7, but he seldom gave the opponent a flow as he also caught 10 strikeouts. This is why so far Lotte has been able to rise even in games where the starting pitcher collapses.
