This is the message from closer Jung Hae-young (23, KIA Tigers) to senior Choi Jung (37, SSG Landers).
Jung said, “I can’t forget April 16. At that time, I took the mound in the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead over the match against SSG in Incheon, and I was hit by Choi Jeong’s tying home run with two outs later. The eight consecutive games since the opening of the season have come to an end when I hit my fifth fastball with a ball count of 3-ball-1 strike. After sending out Heredia to the left, Jung even allowed Han Yu-seom to hit a walk-off, two-run home run.안전놀이터
It was an interview with Choi Jeong-eun that touched Jung’s heart. Choi Jeong-eun, who met with reporters as a leading player in the game, praised Jung’s courage, saying, “If you’re a finishing pitcher, you should be like this.” When the ball count was three balls, Jung chose the fastball on the fourth and fifth pitches as well. “It must have been quite shocking, but he spoke nicely (in the interview). That’s why I was able to recover my mental health,” Jung said.
Jung Hae-young is alert. After a home run hit by Choi Jung, he recorded 10 saves with a 1.86 ERA in 19 games, jumping into the league’s top relief pitcher competition. As of Wednesday, he was second in the season with 18 saves, two behind Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions. In the interim tally of fan voting for the 2024 All-Star Game announced by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Thursday, he garnered 1,012,173 votes to rise to the first place alone, beating Yang Eui-ji of the Doosan Bears, who garnered 1 million,6042 votes.
Choi Jeong-eun, who had her 467th career homerun against Jung Hae-young, also had her 468th career homerun in the KBO League. Choi Jeong-eun is a burden to a closing pitcher who is taking the mound in a tight race. The showdown between Jung and Choi has emerged as a key factor that will determine the joy and sorrow of the KIA-SSG match this season.
When asked by reporters whether he would play a fastball against Choi again, Jung said, “I have improved a lot since then (April 16). I plan to mix balls smartly,” adding, “When the team wins, my self-esteem will rise, and when the team loses, I will suffer the same damage. I will win no matter what. I will throw good pitches (to him).”