Na Yu-ri, Sports Chosun reporter] Starting with a bullpen pitcher, a 22-year-old strong-minded pitcher is becoming a true closer.메이저사이트
SSG Landers replaced the closing pitcher from Moon Seung-won to Cho Byung-hyun on the 2nd. It relieved Moon Seung-won’s burden by closing the door from the beginning of this season, and left it to “Young Gun” Cho Byung-hyun, who throws strong balls.
There are still ups and downs, but Cho Byung-hyun, who saved his team’s victory in a tight game by saving his last two consecutive games. Cho Byung-hyun, who took the mound in the top of the ninth inning with a two-run gap against the Doosan Bears in Incheon on the 11th and kept one inning without losing a point, took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run gap against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 13th and gave up only one walk to end the game without losing a point. It was his third save of the season.
It was an emotional victory for SSG, which had been extremely weak with one win and nine losses in the match against NC this season before the match. “Our team fell behind NC, so I tried to win unconditionally,” Cho said with a smile. “I feel good because I feel like my team won because I came up to the end and scored no points.”
He allowed a walk to Seo after two outs, facing Matt Davidson, the league’s home run leader, but Cho finished the game with a fly to right field. “It was so sad that I gave Seo a straight walk. (Captor) Lee Ji-young came up and just look at his chest and throw it hard. He said it would be okay, so I threw it like that. No matter how many home runs Davidson hit, he didn’t hit me, so he confidently went in,” he explained.
It was also impressive to see Lee take the mound in person to encourage Cho and Lee Ji-young, and infielders after allowing a walk. “The coach asked Ji-young if he liked the ball now, and he said, ‘I think it looks good to me, too. After hearing that, I tried to throw it with more confidence. I just thought that I would win today,” Cho said.
Cho Byung-hyun, a member of the Sangmu Baseball Organization last year, became the “save king” of the Futures League after transforming into a team member. His experience in the first team is different, but he is enjoying the tension on his own. “I haven’t played many games yet, but there are definitely many tight games. I think it’s more thrilling and fun because I’m in a position to finish games,” Cho said with a smile.
I also took bitter medicine. Shortly after the closing position was changed, he took the mound in a 3-2 and one-run lead against the Daegu Samsung Lions on the 2nd, allowing Lee Sung-kyu a tiebreaking solo home run too easily, and even the next batter, Kim Young-woong, got on base due to a defender’s error. In the end, SSG lost its power and suffered a 3-4 walk-off loss as it was pulled out in the middle of the inning without finishing the game.
Looking back on the game, Cho Byung-hyun said, “There was a part where I was a little complacent. I think I’ve improved a little more with the game. It’s a game that left a big lesson for me. If we go up to the ninth inning with the end of the ninth inning, we have one more chance to attack at the bottom of the ninth inning at home, but we don’t have a chance on the road. I feel more responsible and I’m more focused on throwing.”
He joined the SK Wyverns as a rookie in 2021, but this year is virtually his first season in the first division. Cho Byung-hyun said, “I want to go to many games this season. I don’t feel like I’ve lost my stamina at all yet. It’s because the conditioning coaches and the strength coaches managed it a lot, and the coaches managed it a lot. I think breaking ball control is still more important, and on bad days, I tend to turn to the side without realizing it, and I think I’ll become a better player if I supplement that a little more.”
Now 22, the SSG mound has a brighter future thanks to the creation of a new closing pitcher full of infinite possibilities.