“Captain Lion” said: “The mood is very complicated.” But “Baby Lion” confidently said “I have been waiting for a long time.” This is the reaction of Samsung coach Heo Sam-young and the team’s “local ace” Won Tae-in (22-year-old • photo) after hearing the news of “KK” Kim Kwang-hyun (34 years old • SSG) returning to the Korean Professional Baseball League. Coach Xu sighed and said, “This may not be an easy season.” On the contrary, Won Tae-in was only waiting for the day when he would fight against Kim Kwang-hyun.
Won Tae-in said in a telephone interview with the “Dong-A Ilbo” on the 8th, “It is an honor in itself to be able to face off against a senior who has achieved success in Major League Baseball.” Victory.” In 2019, when Won Tae-in was still a rookie, Kim Kwang-hyun also played in the KBO League, but the two pitchers never faced off as starting pitchers.
Yuan Tairen finished his first season with a 4-8 record and a 4.82 ERA. Compared with Kim Kwang-hyun, who has 17 wins and 6 losses and an average responsibility score of 2.51, his results are very poor, but in the away game of Wenhe on June 9 of that year, he introduced with SK team (now SSG) as a “champion’s secret weapon”. Sosa (37 years old • Dominican Republic) won the first match. On the same day, the Samsung team won 9-0 with Won Tae-in’s 5-game scoreless pitch, thus getting rid of the shadow of the 7-game losing streak against the SK team.
After more than 2 years, Yuan Tairen became one of the top pitchers in the league. As the muscle strength increases, the average speed of its fastball has increased from 139.9 kilometers per hour in 2019 to 144.4 kilometers, an increase of nearly 5 kilometers. Of course, grades have also risen. Yuan Tairen achieved 14 wins and 7 losses last year with an average responsibility loss of 3.06. In the middle of the season, it became a national representative and set foot on the stage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Won Tairen, who shot fastballs (46.2 percent) and change-ups (29.7 percent) last year, plans to further increase his curveball usage (17.2 percent) this season. The sliding curveball is also the ball that helped Kim Kwang-hyun achieve 136 wins (77 losses) in the KBO League.
In order to be able to use faster and more variable sliding curve balls during the off-season, Yuan Tairen, who is committed to “pitch design”, said: “It has not reached 100% yet, and for the rest of the time, while side bending, Also trying to complete the downbend and make shots that are unpredictable for opposing batters.”
In last year’s No. 1 battle, Yuan Tairen scored 8 strikeouts in 6 innings, but gave 1 non-responsibility loss and became a losing pitcher. Samsung also ceded the top spot in the regular season to KT. In order not to lose the No. 1 spot in the regular season and win against Kim Kwang-hyun this season, Won Tae-in will throw the ball with an oblique grip again.
Jiang Dongxiong reporter [email protected]
