I think he tried to throw too well.”
SSG coach Kim Won-hyung (51) wrapped his arms around Kim Kwang-hyun (35), who had a disappointing outing the day before. He believes that his strong sense of responsibility backfired.메이저사이트
Before the final game of the midweek series against Hanwha in the 2023 KBO League regular season at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Sunday, Kim Won-hyung said, “I think Kim Kwang-hyun tried to pitch a long inning yesterday. Half of his pitches were off. That’s how his pitch count increased.”
Kim started the previous day’s game and went 3.2 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with two walks and one hit batter while striking out five. Despite coming from behind, he was able to get the win thanks to his offense. He raised his ERA from 3.86 to 4.03.
His fastball reached 149 kilometers per hour. His average speed was also 146 kilometers per hour. It was very good. His slider had power, and his changeup was good. His curveball had a good angle.
However, he tried to be too pinpoint with his pitches. There were a lot of pitches that were slightly out of the zone. It’s good that he threw it close, but a ball is a ball. 60 strikes and 44 balls says it all. That’s why he threw 104 pitches in the fourth inning.
Manager Kim Won-hyung said, “Kim Kwang-hyun was in good shape yesterday. His fastball was good. There were a lot of pitches that were slightly out of the zone. He had to throw strikes, but it was difficult.”
“Recently, our starters have been giving up four or five runs in five or six innings. Our starting pitching has been sluggish. I think Kim Kwang-hyun wanted to break that trend. He wanted to go long and try to minimize the runs, but he got out of the zone and threw a lot of pitches.”
Despite Kim’s struggles, the bullpen and batting lineup stepped up to the plate. They led 5-4 in the eighth inning, but closer Seo Jin-yong committed a blown save, allowing Lee to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th. It was a heartbreaking comeback loss.
Of course, things could have been different if Kim Kwang-hyun had pitched longer. The ace had a lot of responsibility, but he tried to be too good and got in trouble.