A battle of pride that took place in 8 years. Hyeonjong Yang laughed again.안전놀이터
Yang Hyeon-jong and Kim Gwang-hyun, the ‘ace’ pitchers representing the KBO league, played a starting match. KIA Tigers and SSG Landers met at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 9th. KIA put Yang Hyeon-jong as the starting pitcher, and SSG put Kim Gwang-hyun at the fore.
The starting matchup was the hot topic from a day ago. This is because it is a confrontation between pitchers symbolizing Tigers and Landers, respectively, and national ace pitchers born in 1988. SSG was the order for Kim Gwang-hyun to pitch according to the set rotation, and KIA had a variable. Last week, as many as four games were canceled due to rain, and in particular, the rotation was actually reorganized as none of the three Changwon NC Dinos games were played on the weekend. Manager Kim Jong-guk chose Yang Hyeon-jong as the first starter. He said, “It felt right to start again.” That’s how Yang Hyeon-jong and Kim Gwang-hyun’s selection match was concluded.
The two had faced each other six times in the past, and each time it became a hot topic. Twice in 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Kim Gwang-hyun recorded an average ERA of 3.79 with 2 wins and 3 losses in the starting match against Yang Hyeon-jong, and Yang Hyeon-jong recorded an average ERA of 5.33 with 2 wins and 2 losses. The most recent performance was better for Yang Hyeon-jong. Eight years ago, in 2015, Yang Hyeon-jong laughed in two consecutive confrontations.
We met again after 8 years. There is no need to be overly conscious of the opponent’s starting pitcher, but it would be a lie if he said he didn’t care. The two, who recently joined the WBC national team, are now symbols of their respective teams, so they have no choice but to care about the team’s win or loss rather than individual results. SSG had recently won 5 consecutive wins before the game, and KIA was also on the rise until the consecutive rainy weather was canceled. Two people who came out in this situation. A confrontation with a friend whom he met like fate is more than just one appearance.
Seung-woon once again turned to Yang Hyeon-jong. The KIA lineup attacked Kim Gwang-hyun faster. As expected, the game flowed in the form of a pitcher battle, and it progressed quickly. In a 0-0 situation, the balance was shaken at the end of the 4th inning when KIA Byun Woo-hyuk attacked Kim Gwang-hyun’s changeup miss and hit a preemptive two-run home run. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Ryu Ji-hyeok scored an additional point with a timely hit.
With KIA leading 3-0, Yang Hyeon-jong played a scoreless counterattack. Kim Gwang-hyun went down the mound first. He had a quality start, with 6 hits (1 home run), 6 strikeouts, 2 walks and 3 runs in 6 innings, but he did not receive any scoring support.
On the other hand, Yang Hyeon-jong kept the mound until the 8th inning. In the 8th inning with 100 pitches filled, pitching coach Jung Myeong-won climbed the mound and asked for a doctor, but Yang Hyeon-jong shook his head and took responsibility for the inning until the end. The next hitter, Kim Kang-min, was treated with a fly by center fielder, and then came down the mound with clenched fists. The home crowd stood up and chanted Yang Hyeon-jong’s name, applauding and cheering. KIA, with Yang Hyeon-jong’s great pitching at the forefront, defeated SSG 3-0 that day. On this day, 8,916 spectators filled the stadium in Gwangju Stadium to watch the ‘Ace’ showdown, even though it was a night game on Tuesday.
Yang Hyeon-jong also won a total of 161 wins and tied for second place in the KBO League’s personal career wins. He is tied for second with 161 wins alongside Min-cheol Jeong. Even if Yang Hyeon-jong adds one more win, he will surpass Jeong Min-cheol and become second in history. The first place in history is Song Jin-woo’s 210 wins.