"This year's stuff is the best."

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho praised closer Jeong Hae-young (25)'s performance. He noted, "I think this year's stuff is the best among what I have seen so far from Hae-young." Since debuting as a closer in 2021 after graduating high school, he has accumulated a total of 125 saves. Last year, he was the top saver and played a key role in the team's championship.

Jeong Hae-young has appeared in 6 games this year, recording 1 loss and 4 saves, with an ERA of 4.50. The high ERA was due to one poor performance in a game. On March 27, he appeared in the 9th inning of the game against Kiwoom Heroes in Gwangju, leading 3-2, but allowed 2 hits and 2 walks, resulting in 3 earned runs. It was the shock of his first blown save.

His stuff was not bad. He reached speeds of over 150 km/h. He is well known as a pitcher with good ball movement. As his velocity has increased, his effectiveness has improved. He has been occasionally throwing slider, splitter, and curveballs. In fact, he has since secured 4 consecutive saves, demonstrating a reliable closer's performance.

Since winning the championship last year, KIA's bullpen has undergone changes. The key victory man, Jang Hyun-sik, obtained free agency status and transferred to LG Twins. In exchange, they acquired Jo Sang-woo, who had been a closer for Kiwoom. They added 1 billion won in cash and two selections in the 2025 rookie draft. With 33 saves in the 2020 season, he is expected to be a strong secondary closer.

In fact, Jeong Hae-young was motivated. At the spring camp, he ignited his will by saying, "I don't think I'm the closer." Although manager Lee Beom-ho had already named Jeong Hae-young as the pitcher for the 9th inning, he did not show any signs of complacency. Since the camp, he has been throwing balls in the high 140 km/h range and is overcoming the shock of his first blown save. He has also kept the possibility of challenging for the save king title for the second consecutive year open.

However, the instability of the championship bullpen is a variable. Jo Sang-woo has not yet showcased the strong fastball he had in the 2020 season, but he is managing innings with experienced pitching. He has recorded an average ERA of 2.57 with 4 holds, making a smooth start to the season. Choi Ji-min, who struggled in the latter half of last year, has shown stability with 2 holds and an ERA of 2.35 over 9 games.

However, they cannot rely solely on three players. One of the crucial figures in the winning team, Jeon Sang-hyun (ERA 14.73), needs to recover. Additionally, Kwak Do-kyu (ERA 13.50) and Lee Jun-young (ERA 5.06), as well as Lim Gi-young, who is currently in the second team, must return to form for the bullpen to function reliably. Increased holds will lead to successful saves. Everyone needs to step up.

The lineup's scoring ability has also become a source of concern. In close games, the burden on the bullpen pitchers becomes unavoidable. The manager noted, "The batting must improve for the bullpen to stabilize. When the bullpen is in play, we should be winning comfortably by 2-3 runs to pitch comfortably. If the offense improves, the bullpen will certainly find its place."

Last year, he became the save king due to the struggles of other closers. He ranked first with 31 saves. This year is different. He will have to face off against KT's Park Young-hyun, Doosan's Kim Taek-yang, and Hanwha's Kim Seo-hyun. It's a competition among young closers. The number of saves for the first place is expected to be much higher than last year. Jeong Hae-young must rise to the challenge.

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