Taekyeon Kim of Doosan
Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop revealed his deep faith in rookie Kim Taek-yeon.
Ahead of the professional baseball game against the Lotte Giants held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 19th, Coach Lee said, “These days, whenever I face a crisis, I think of Taecyeon the most. I think he has completely established himself (on the professional stage).”
Kim Taek-yeon, who was selected as the second overall pick in last year’s rookie draft, performed poorly in his first appearance in the opening game, allowing two runs (two earned) in one inning, but has continued to pitch well since reorganizing the second team.
His season performance is 19 games, 1 win, 3 holds, and an average ERA of 2.21. In 20⅓ innings, he struck out 25 batters and walked just 10.
Manager Lee praised, “When looking from the dugout, it looks like the strike rate is the highest among the bullpens,” adding, “There were some walks at the beginning of the season, but now there are almost no walks.”
In particular, it is an even more valuable resource for manager Lee, who is trying to replace pitchers faster than last year.
Manager Lee said, “Last year, I tried to protect the players, but I think I failed because the timing (to replace the pitcher) was late. This year, the replacement timing was earlier than last year.” He added, “It may be difficult for the bullpen, but a bold decision is needed to achieve more wins. “I think it might be necessary,” he said.
In fact, the number of innings (197⅓ innings) of Doosan Guo-jin is the highest among the 10 teams. The league average is 175⅔ innings.
Coach Lee said, “As time passes, the results will come out as to whether it was a successful season or a failed season,” and added, “This kind of operation will be necessary until Alcantara (who has pain in his right elbow) returns.”
Meanwhile, Manager Lee, who achieved his 100th win with a win against Lotte the previous day, cited starting catcher Yang Eui-ji and captain Yang Seok-hwan as contributors.
Coach Lee explained, “Ui-ji leads the team well in offense and defense and gives intimidation to the opponent even if he is not in the game, and Seok-hwan has the leadership to make up for it even if his (individual) performance is not as good as last year.” 토토사이트