admin“The fans are worried about me…”
Lim Ki-young (KIA Tigers) has been on the first team mound in a KIA uniform since the 2017 season. He was a starter for six seasons until last season, but this season, he has been pitching out of the bullpen.
Heading into this season, KIA had a lot of questions about their starting five. Lim Ki-young, Yoon Young-cheol, and Kim Ki-hoon were among the candidates. Yoon Young-cheol was selected as the fifth starter. Lim started the season as a long reliever. He fulfilled his role perfectly and became a key member of the bullpen, pitching whenever the team needed him.
On the first day of the season, Lim said, “At the beginning of the season, I was in the long relief role behind the starter, but I have to make my own place. “So I tried to pitch more aggressively than I usually do, and I thought that I would have better results when the manager trusts me and uses me,” he said.
Lim played his 50th game of the season on February 2 against the Incheon SSG Landers. He has a record of 4-2, 12 holds, 3 saves, 69⅓ innings pitched, 22 runs (20 earned), a 2.60 ERA, and a 0.82 WHIP (walks allowed per inning).
“I didn’t think I would be this good in the bullpen this season, but as the good games kept coming, I gained a lot of confidence in myself. I think confidence is the most important thing.” “I always try to be aggressive when I’m on the mound. I think that if I finish my defense in a short time on the mound, I can concentrate more when the hitters attack, so I try to finish the inning with fewer pitches, and I think that’s why the results keep coming.”
Lim has the most innings pitched among bullpen pitchers in the KBO. The second-place finisher, Park Young-hyun (KT Wiz), is responsible for 63⅓ innings, which is why fans are worried. However, Lim said he is in good physical condition and is taking care of himself.
He said, “I’m trying to take better care of my body and condition. I’m ready for two or three games in a row. The manager and coach are taking good care of me,” he said. “Even as a starter, I threw 100 to 130 innings every year. The fans are worried, but they shouldn’t be. I don’t have any pain. I’m still in good shape. I want to keep it up for longer.”
KIA’s bats have been on fire in August, leading the team in batting average. The hot hitting continued in the three-game series against SSG. They scored 10 runs on day 1 and 12 runs on day 2. The power of the batting lineup and the stability of the mound have helped them win seven straight games. They are one game behind the fourth-place NC Dinos and 2.5 games behind third-place SSG.메이저사이트
Lim Ki-young said, “We need to move up. I think it will be important to play until next week. It will determine if we can move up or if we’re going back and forth in this position.” “But the atmosphere is really good. The pitching staff is talking a lot about keeping the runs to a minimum because even if the pitchers give up two or three runs, the hitters can score more than that.”
KIA will play the final game of the three-game series against SSG on March 3. After a day off on the 4th, they will face the Jamsil Doosan Bears. A three-game series against the LG Twins awaits at home from April 8-10.