] The Hanwha Eagles faced a serious challenge to advance to the semi-finals. With no clear starting pitcher, “fireballer” Moon Dong-ju (21) also took the mound due to shoulder fatigue. While the pitching staff was on shaky ground, “all-weather pitcher” Jang Min-jae (34) received a call-up for the first team.
Hanwha registered right-hander Jang Min-jae by excluding right-hander Han Seung-joo from the first-team entry on the 9th when there was no game. With Han Seung-joo shaken by his last four consecutive games, he called Jang Min-jae by adjusting the pitcher’s entry.먹튀검증
Jang Min-jae, who was removed from the entry on June 16, returned to the first team in 85 days. In the meantime, he has consistently prepared for the second-tier Futures League, crossing selection and relief. In the second half of the year, Hanwha’s return to the first division was delayed as the mound stabilized, but the opportunity finally came at the end of the season.
In this season’s first division, Jang pitched 22 ⅓ innings and pitched in relief in all 20 games, recording one win and one loss with a 4.03 strikeout and 15 ERA. Although he failed to show remarkable performance mainly due to the chasing team situation, he silently pitched the ball in the second division and waited for the right time.
The Futures League’s performance was 3 wins, 1 loss, 1 hold, 2.91 strikeouts and 37 strikeouts in 14 games (10 starts, 43 ⅓ innings). The match against NC, which was held at Masan Stadium on the 5th, won the starting game with three hits, no outs, and five strikeouts in five innings. Since August, he has a good pace with seven games (4 starts, 24 innings) with three wins and one hold and an ERA of 1.50.
Jang has a memory of contributing to his team by pitching as an all-weather pitcher at the end of last year’s season. Since his return to the main league on Sept. 5, he has played in 12 games (12 innings) with one win, one loss, one hold and an earned run average of 3.00 strikeouts, contributing to Hanwha’s coming out of the league.
This year, he was listed in the top team around the same time, but with only 16 games left in the season, his team situation has become all the more important. In September last year, the team already had a long way to go from the postseason, but this year, it is not time to give up on seventh place, 2.5 games behind fifth-ranked KT. At least one more chance to catch up could come.
Stabilization of the mound is essential to save the opportunity when it comes. The biggest strength that allowed Hanwha to rebound from the middle of summer was stabilization of the mound. With Ryan Weiss, Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-ju at the center of the starting lineup, the bullpen, which rediscovered Park Sang-won and Kim Seo-hyun, stabilized and went up.
However, recently, the mound has lost strength. With Kim Ki-joong not having a clear fifth starter after returning from the second division, Moon Dong-ju’s starting position against Jamsil LG on the 8th failed due to accumulated shoulder fatigue. Moon Dong-ju, who was powerful with four wins and one loss with a 2.60 ERA in eight games (45 innings) in the second half of the season, was unable to pitch 100 percent due to scapular pain in the early and mid-season, so more careful shoulder management is needed.
Hanwha, which had to play two consecutive bullpen days against LG on the 7th and 8th, started bullpen agent Lee Sang-kyu (one run in three innings) and rookie Cho Dong-wook (two runs in two innings), respectively, and the mound collapsed with nine runs and 14 runs. Jang Min-jae came up in a situation where he needed a long pitcher. If Moon Dong-joo fails to return this week, Hanwha will have another starting rotation for two consecutive days in the Sajik Lotte match on the 13th and 14th.
Jang Min-jae, who has a lot of experience in starting, can enter as an alternative starter, and if it’s bullpen day, he can take charge of long relief. Even though his pitches are slow, he has a clear weapon called folk ball, and Jang Min-jae, who plays aggressive games, has the ability to extend innings for a long time. At any time and in any situation, a pitcher like Jang Min-jae, who is used for all weather, is required to manage the mound.
Jang has been playing as a one-club man for 16 years since he signed an FA contract with Hanwha in December last year for a total of 800 million won (approx. He did not spend much time in the first team this year, but he came back when it mattered a lot. This is an opportunity to demonstrate his value in existence.