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Ordeal after record…162-win pitcher humiliated by Giants’ ‘fire bats’
기사입력 2023.06.03. 오전 05:01 최종수정 2023.06.03. 오전 05:01 기사문
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(Xinhua Busan, Yoo Jun-sang) The ace who was trusted by the team was unable to overcome the opponent’s strategy and collapsed in an instant. ‘162-win pitcher’ Yang Hyun-jong of the KIA Tigers crushed his pride with his worst pitch.
Yang Hyun-jong started the sixth game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on February 2. The final score was two innings, nine hits (one home run), two walks, one strikeout, and nine runs. All nine runs were earned, giving him the distinction of giving up the most runs and earned runs in a game in his professional career (previously eight – four total). His season ERA jumped from 2.29 to 3.74, and the team went 2-14.
With his win against the LG Twins in 메이저사이트 Gwangju on March 27, Yang earned his 162nd career win, moving him into sole possession of second place on the KBO’s all-time wins list, ahead of commentator Jung Min-cheol (161). The record was made possible by ‘steadiness’.
The pressure of the record was not lost on the team, and neither were the beasts behind the plate.
Before the game, Kia manager Kim Jong-guk said, “It’s a record that will be achieved one day, and I’m sure there was a lot of pressure because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to achieve it. (But) I think the pitchers and the batters are a little more relaxed now.”
Yang Hyun-jong, who had shaken off the pressure from his previous outing, collapsed in his first start after reaching the milestone. He gave up seven runs in the first inning, starting with a single by Jeon Jun-woo. In particular, Lee Hak-joo’s single in the top of the first inning was fatal.
Faced with the unexpected, KIA turned to its bullpen in the second inning. Contrary to KIA’s desire to keep Yang Hyun-jong in the game for as long as possible, Yang gave up a run in the bottom of the second inning on RBI singles by Jeong Hoon and Han Dong-hee. The bench was forced to make a decision. Right-hander Hwang Dong-ha took over the mound for the defense in the bottom of the third.
KIA’s starting rotation was pushed back by one day as their home game against the KT Wiz was canceled due to rain. Yang Hyun-jong, Adonis Medina, and Lee Yi-ri are all available for the three-game weekend series. It was a chance to rack up some wins in the absence of Shawn Anderson, who was sent down to the second team, but it was a day that didn’t go as planned for Yang and KIA from game one.
