SSG closer Seo Jin-yong (32) is taking a quick step toward his return. He is recovering. He is improving his condition. SSG is “patient.” There is no hurry.퀸알바
Seo Jin-yong said, “My arm condition has improved a lot. I am in about 80 percent condition. I am looking for balance by continuously pitching in the bullpen and live. I need to have speed at the beginning of 140 kilometers per hour, and I need to have a good balance to play in the Futures game.”
“We don’t know yet when he will play in the actual game. I can tell him so he can play. But I want to make sure as much as possible and go up there. For now, I am focusing on improving my condition and regaining my balance. I will perform live pitching three or four more times and decide whether to play in the actual game or not,” he added.
SSG manager Lee Soo-yong said, “We are not in a hurry to return Seo. We need to make it completely and come back. I told him to take his time. It is true that Seo needs Seo. Wasn’t he a 42 save pitcher last year? However, this is not the right time to rush.”
“Moon Seung-won will be on hand for the closing session. I plan to use Noh Kyung-eun, Ko Hyo-joon and Lee Yun-woo for the seventh or eighth session. If they show good performances, they can naturally block them from winning the game. Cho Byung-hyun and Han Doo-sol have also come up a lot. I will put them in at the right time,” he said.
Seo had five wins, four losses, 42 saves and an ERA of 2.59 last season. He is also a pitcher who achieved 30 saves in a single season in the history of the KBO League. His first save came out on Aug. 27. Although he faltered at the last minute, recording five blons from September to October, there would have been no fall baseball without Seo.
After the season, he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow. He said he was faster than expected in the offseason. However, he needs physical time. He did not even have a proper spring camp. He is nearing the end of his rehabilitation. He is now in the stage of live pitching. He is preparing to play in the actual game. When Seo Jin-yong arrives, the back door of the SSG will become stronger.
Seo said, “All the pitchers on our team are good. The finishing position is also a competition. I didn’t think I would make more than 30 saves last year. Rather than talking about saves right now, I want to go up and contribute to my team. Other pitchers will do well. I want to be a supportive one, too. I hope I do well so that the coach and my teammates can watch baseball comfortably.”
“For now, I’m going to focus on building my body. That’s the first thing. When I go up there, I really want to show good performance. I have experience from playing last season. I’m going to throw more aggressively this year,” he said.
The SSG struggled hard in its second game of the season on Tuesday. It allowed six runs in the ninth inning in large numbers. The team made the score 6-6. It won the game thanks to Guillermo Heredia’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it ended up with a chill in the spine. Seo has a reason to come back soon.