"ERA last place in June → 2.87th place in July" Also, "home-centered" is important..."Shake" Younggun's finish is also revived

With the recruitment of a capable catcher, the team changed its mind in a month.

The KIA Tigers' average ERA in June was the last among the 5th and 20th clubs. But in July it was different. It ranks first overall with 2.87.

Accordingly, the team's performance has changed 180 degrees. KIA, which ranked ninth out of 10 clubs with 7 wins, 15 losses and 1 draw in June, quickly jumped to the top five with 11 wins and 5 losses (the top overall) in July alone. At the end of July, he won three consecutive games against the Lotte Giants and moved up to sixth place.

The replacement of the two foreign pitchers is definitely noticeable. Both Panoni and Sanchez are smoothly adapting to the league and showing off their stability.

However, the presence of the catcher who leads them is particularly unique. In addition to the existing Han Seung-taek, KIA had difficulty in operating its home turf this season enough to hire new players such as Joo Hyo-sang, Shin Bum-soo, and Han Seung-taek. In the end, Kim Tae-gun was recruited in a trade on July 6.

Samsung said that the only main catcher in the league is the "remaining team," but the value of the catcher is not low. KIA had to give up Ryu Ji-hyuk, who was considered a local star and the next captain.

Looking at it so far, the recruitment effect is different. The KIA starting lineup is a one-sided left-handed pitcher. Except for Sanchez, Panoni, Yang Hyun-jong, Lee Ui-ri, and Yoon Young-chul are all left-handed. The starting lineup, which is leaning to one side, has no choice but to make the opponent's bench relatively comfortable in terms of batting order composition or pinch hitter use.

Therefore, the role of the catcher is important. They have to make the most of different pitchers' styles and bully their opponents. In this regard, Kim Tae-gun's skillful ball combination is also satisfying to KIA manager Kim Jong-kook and other team officials.

Jung Hae-young, a closer who faced trials in his fourth year of debut, also survived. Jung Hae-young, who has been one of the pillars of the must-win group since his first year of debut and was selected as a closer the following year with the full affection of former coach Matt Williams. Although it is not a 150km-range light fastball, it stood out with its heavy pitch and unstoppable confidence.

Even if the head coach changed, his position remained unchanged. He made more than 30 saves for the second consecutive year. Compliments followed, saying, "It is like the son of a catcher (Jeong Hoe-yeol), who represents the Haitai Dynasty."

But this year was different. After Blon in April, there were two embarrassing relief wins and one defeat. In May, the ERA soared to 4.26 without Blon. The fastball speed once fell to the late 130km range, causing fans to worry.

Started all over again in the Remainers, not in the second tier. He reorganized his basic pitching form and balance.

And I met a new partner in the first team that I returned to. The collective finishing system of Lim Ki-young, Jang Hyun-sik, and Choi Ji-min, who filled the position, did not satisfy everyone. As Jung Hae-young is definitely at the end, the entire team has stabilized. In the third consecutive game against Lotte, he made saves for the first three consecutive days of his debut, settling for double-digit saves late.

Jung Hae-young said with a big smile, "It's the first time in my entire career that I've had three consecutive days." He then said, "I threw it as Kim Tae-gun signed it. "Thanks to you, I'm throwing it comfortably," he said with a big smile. This is the rise of KIA, which is proving the importance of the homeowner.

www.sportstototv.com