For the first time in 26 years since Lim Chang-yong, the Tigers’ relief king has been born. The hero is Jeong Hae-young (23).먹튀검증
Jung Hae-young made 31 saves of the season by striking out one in ⅓ innings against the Samsung Lions in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 23rd.
KIA got the first run with Kim Do-young’s solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Socrates Brito hit a solo shot to add another run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
KIA’s offense continued. Yoon Do-hyun’s timely RBI single with no outs and a runner on the second base made it 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning. KIA had a chance to load the bases with no outs thanks to Park Chan-ho’s hit and Socrates’ walk, and added one more run when third baseman Yoon Do-hyun stepped home during Lee Woo-sung’s double play. He gave up a run to Samsung in the top of the seventh inning, but widened the gap again with Park Chan-ho’s RBI double with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The crisis came at the top of the ninth inning. Samsung’s Jeon Byung-woo hit a two-run homer off KIA’s Lim Ki-young to start the chase. The score, which was 5-1, quickly narrowed to 5-3.
At a desperate moment, Kia released Lim and put Jeong on the mound. Jeong served as a guardian deity. He handled Lee Sung-kyu with a strikeout and a strikeout after a game of six pitches, ending the game.
Having made 31 saves in this season, Jung has confirmed his relief king regardless of the competitors’ records. Oh Seung-hwan (27, save) who is ranking second in the save category has been demoted to the second division and is thus unable to add more saves in the remaining games. Even if Kim Won-joong (31) of the Lotte Giants, who tied for third with 25 saves, saves in all six remaining games, he will tie Jung with 31 saves.
It is the first time in 26 years that a Tigers player has achieved the title of “relief” since Lim Chang-yong in 1998. Lim, who was a member of the Haitai Tigers at the time, ranked first in saves with eight wins, seven losses and 34 saves with an ERA of 1.89.
The next goal is to break the record of most saves in her career. Jeong’s record of 34 saves in a single season is that she posted in the 2021 season. If she adds four more saves in the remaining five games, she can break this record. Kia’s fans have high expectations for Jeong.