adminYang Hyeon-jong (35‧ KIA), who has been active as KIA’s ace for a long time and is also active, has been different from childhood. He graduated from Dongseong High School in Gwangju and was nominated for the 2nd 1st round (1st overall) of the KIA in 2007, gaining starting experience from his first year.
He was included in the starting rotation and there were twists and turns, but he also carved a starter into his career before his debut season was over. On September 29, 2007, the last start of 2007, against Hanwha in Daejeon, Yang Hyeon-jong fought hard with 2 hits, 4 strikeouts and 1 run in 5 innings, leading the team to a 9-2 victory and winning his professional debut and his first start at the same time. did.
In the history of the KIA club, Yang Hyeon-jong was the third high school graduate and 19-year-old player to win the starting lineup after Kim Jin-woo in 2002 and Han Ki-joo in 2006. However, since Yang Hyeon-jong, new pitchers graduating from KIA high school have hardly come close to this record. The next case of Yang Hyeon-jong only came out in 2016 (Jung Dong-hyun), and lefties were still in a drought.
However, in recent years, lefties following Yang Hyeon-jong’s record have emerged one after another. Ki-Hoon Kim (23), Eui-Ri Lee (21), and Young-Cheol Yoon (19), who are called the future of the team mound, matched the starters in their debut season every two years.
Kim Ki-hoon, Yang Hyeon-jong’s high school junior and KIA’s first designee in 2019, immediately joined the starting rotation in his debut season and played 16 of 19 games as a starter. He struggled for a long time because he couldn’t make a connection with his starter, but on June 26, 2019, his 7th start of the season, against Gocheok Kiwoom, he won his debut with 6⅔ innings scoreless reverse pitching.
Eui-ri Lee, who was a starting pitcher in his first professional game, won his first win and first start in his debut with a strong impression of 6 innings, 10 strikeouts and no runs in the 4th start, against Hanwha in Gwangju on April 28, 2021. After that was Yun Young-cheol. Newcomer Yoon Young-chul, who joined the rotation as the team’s 5th starter, made his debut win with a good pitching with 5 innings and 1 run against Gwangju Lotte on the 3rd, his 4th start of the season, just like Eui-ri Lee. I was more thrilled because it was a win against Lotte, who was on a 9-game winning streak.
All three players have different strengths. Lee Eui-ri’s strong point is a powerful fastball exceeding 150 km/h. He is evaluated as the best left-hander in the league in terms of velocity alone. Kim Ki-hoon can also be classified as a pitcher, but he has a different charm from Eui-ri Lee. His fastball velocity is slightly inferior to Lee Eui-ri’s, but he possesses a strong vertical movement that rivals the first left-hander in the league.
Yoon Young-chul stands out for his control and command rather than restraint. He has the ability to throw the ball where he wants. He is the secret to fighting pro hitters even with an average fastball velocity of around 135 km. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk looked at Eui-ri Lee and Young-cheol Yoon, who are in the starting rotation side by side, saying, “The two players have different abilities (of strengths).” He also added that he hoped that there would be an opportunity for each other to see each other and learn their strengths.토토사이트
They are pitchers who have more work to do than they do right now. Eui-ri Lee is the player that coach Kim says should now become the national ace. Although he has a problem with walks, his pitches are not inferior to those of foreign players. Yoon Young-cheol has the potential to make a better pitch if his speed is faster through systematic training. Kim Ki-hoon is currently being used in the bullpen, but he can be included as a starting candidate in the long term as he has the characteristics of not discriminating between left and right hitters.
Yang Hyeon-jong, who led the team mound for a long time, is now a player in his mid-30s. It is clear that he is a player who has fewer days to play than the days he has played so far. When Yang Hyeon-jong plays the part of the breakwater and endures, a natural generational change will follow as the three players grow. Attention is focusing on whether the three lefties will be able to follow the path of the great senior Yang Hyeon-jong. If you follow all of them, that in itself means the iron wall of the KIA mound.