"I thought it was a hidden camera."
Right-handed fireballer Yoon Seong-bin of the professional baseball team Lotte Giants took the mound in the 7th inning with two outs and no runners on base, trailing 0-1 against the Incheon SSG Landers on the 15th. After experiencing the pain of giving up 9 runs in 1 inning with 4 hits, 6 walks, and 2 strikeouts during his previous start against LG on May 20, he returned to the first team mound.
After finishing his disappointing appearance against LG, Yoon Seong-bin went down to the second team to gain experience as a bullpen pitcher before coming back up. He anticipated that he would experience a relatively easier situation in the first team bullpen. However, even though they were trailing by 1 point, he was placed in a competitive situation for his first game back in the first team bullpen. Yoon Seong-bin took the mound and faced the first batter, Choi Ji-hoon, throwing 2 balls, then bringing him down with a 157km fastball, resulting in a pop-out to the right fielder.
He faced one batter and then left the mound again, but manager Kim Tae-hyoung boldly put Yoon Seong-bin to the test. At that time, Yoon Seong-bin reflected on the situation and said, "I was told to prepare for a one-point game, so I thought it was a hidden camera. I never imagined pitching in a one-point game." He added, "Still, since the pitchers behind me are strong, I thought that if I couldn't handle one batter, I should really quit baseball, so I threw confidently. I felt that the manager and coaches wanted to boost my confidence, so I think it ended well." Exactly a week later, on the 22nd against Samsung at Sajik, he took the mound in the 7th inning, trailing 3-6. Although they were behind, it was a score that could be turned around with a 3-point difference. Manager Kim Tae-hyoung confidently put Yoon Seong-bin on the mound. Previously, starting pitcher Park Se-woong was pulled after allowing 6 runs in 3 innings, but left-handed fireballer Hong Min-ki followed with a stellar performance, striking out 6 over 3 scoreless innings before leaving the mound. Yoon Seong-bin was on the mound at the moment they aimed to turn the momentum.
Yoon Seong-bin faced Edwin Diaz, the league's home run leader this year, as the first batter. Against Diaz, Yoon Seong-bin continued to use his most confident fastball. He threw 5 consecutive fastballs starting from the first pitch. The fastball, which clocked in at 157km, overwhelmed Diaz as well. Although Diaz tried to time his swing with Yoon Seong-bin's fastball, he struggled. A slider ended up being a foul on the 6th pitch, but on the 7th pitch, Yoon Seong-bin delivered a 155km fastball, resulting in a pop-out to the center fielder.
Next, he faced Park Byung-ho, another big hitter who had hit 4 home runs in 3 games, and hit a three-run home run in the first inning. After inducing a swing and miss with a 157km fastball on the first pitch, he threw a ball on the second pitch clocked at 158km. However, he threw another 156km fastball, resulting in another pop-out to the center fielder. After two outs, he confronted Ryu Ji-hyuk. Ryu Ji-hyuk tried to unsettle Yoon Seong-bin by adopting a bunting stance instead of a batting stance and moving around a lot in the batter's box. Up to the 4th pitch, there were more balls than strikes. The count was 3 balls and 1 strike, confirming that Yoon Seong-bin's control was shaky. However, he threw a strike on the 5th pitch and created a full count, then delivered a 154km fastball for a looking strikeout. It was a perfect defeat for Ryu Ji-hyuk. Yoon Seong-bin overcame Ryu Ji-hyuk's tactics, completing a 1-inning three-up, three-down.
As Yoon Seong-bin recorded the three-up, three-down, the lineup responded perfectly. They woke up fully. Samsung's starting pitcher Won Tae-in allowed 3 runs over 6 innings before leaving. Lotte failed to seize the opportunity completely. However, they scored a whopping 6 runs against Kim Tae-hoon, who came in as the league's top reliable pitcher in June (4 holds, ERA 0 in 7 games), turning the game around to lead 9-6, and Yoon Seong-bin qualified for the win.
After that, Jeong Cheol-won and Choi Jun-yong's reliable pitchers blocked the 8th and 9th innings, allowing Yoon Seong-bin to savor the victory. This win was the long-awaited victory for Yoon Seong-bin after 2462 days since his last win on September 25, 2018, against NC (1 inning, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, no runs). Manager Kim Tae-hyoung was concerned about how to utilize Yoon Seong-bin's improved pitching in the first team. He remarked that he felt bad about Yoon Seong-bin struggling on the mound against LG, which demonstrates his affection for him.
He was given a chance with determination and also became the winning pitcher. Lotte's "painful finger" is now gradually healing. After the game, Yoon Seong-bin stated, "This is my first win in a long time since 2018. It’s more about the enthusiastic support from the fans in uniform and the concentration of the fielders that led to this comeback win," adding, "Since I started this season as a starter, I prepared for bullpen appearances in the Futures league. I trained for the bullpen pitching with my coaches while discussing a lot in the Futures league."
He added, "I pitched in the bullpen in Incheon and today at Sajik. Personally, I felt that pitching in the bullpen suited me better. The thought of 'let's just give it our all for one inning' was a great help."
He pledged, "I am thankful to the manager and coaches who gave me the opportunity, and I will do my best to help the team from the position I am entrusted with." It is no longer a hidden camera. It is the fruit that Yoon Seong-bin overcame and faced. The baseball of the 9th-year 'painful finger' is starting anew.
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