“I’m a little used to the finishing position now.”
New head coach Lee Seung-yeop메이저놀이터 did not worry too much about a closer pitcher since the spring camp in Sydney, Australia in February. After dropping Hong Geon-hee as the closer early on, he was considerate of the player to pick up the pace himself.
Hong Kun-hee made 18 saves last year, but he was not a perfect full-time closer. For the first time since his professional debut this year, he took on the finishing position in charge of the lead situation in the 9th inning and welcomed the opening.
So far everything is going well. He appeared in 18 games, 1 loss, 9 saves, and an average ERA of 1.93, firmly guarding the back door of Doosan. At the beginning of the season, he had a hard time because his fastball speed did not rise as expected, but this month, the frequency of 150 km being recorded on the billboard increased, and his pitch was at a level that overwhelmed batters.
Hong Geon-hee said, “In April, the pitching balance was a little off, so I felt frustrated. There were many cases where I could easily solve the game because there was no restraint than I thought.” Fortunately, my condition is improving and my balance is getting better,” he looked back at the beginning of the season.
Hong Kun-hee himself has become accustomed to the finishing position. When she first took on the role of closer, she felt a lot of pressure and worry, but now she thinks more of her responsibility.
Hong Geon-hee said, “If I can’t overcome the pressure, it’s a negative for me and the team. I have to show my performance to help the team as much as possible.” , and I wouldn’t say it’s comfortable to go into a save situation, but I’ve gotten used to it a lot,” he laughed.
At this point, even looking at the entire league, we can give a good enough score to ‘finishing pitcher’ Hong Kun-hee. Hong Gun-hee is tied for second place with Lotte Giants Kim Won-joong, behind SSG Landers Seo Jin-yong (16 saves), who is continuing the ‘Mr. Zero’ march.
Hong Gun-hee is in the position that he is not very interested in his save numbers or title competition. He emphasizes, “It’s a style that won’t work out if you care about the record.”
However, he said, “If I have to set a goal, I want to avoid making blown saves as much as possible rather than making many saves.” My goal is to minimize blown saves.”