The 'Great Pitcher' Shocking Early Steel Plate, the behind-the-scenes story revealed by head coach Lee Bum-ho "Only saw the victory. Hyunjong also understands."
Jul 18, 2024
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KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho told the back story of Yang Hyun-jong's early replacement.
Coach Lee had no choice but to bring up ace Yang Hyeon-jong ahead of the final game of the three consecutive games during the week against the Samsung Lions at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 18th.
Yang Hyun-jong took the mound as a starter against Samsung on the 17th. He pitched a scoreless pitch until the third inning, then slowed down by allowing three runs in the fourth inning. He also gave up two runs in the fifth inning and was on the verge of hitting first and second bases with two outs.
However, KIA's batting line broke out from the beginning. It was an 8-5 lead, scoring six points in the fourth inning. Yang Hyun-jong could have met the winning requirements by catching one more out count.
Usually, managers give pitchers a chance to end the inning in this case so as not to kill their spirits. What's more, isn't Yang Hyeon-jong. He's not even a rookie player, he's a living legend. It would have never been easy to make a decision to remove such a pitcher with one out count left for the winning requirement. However, Lee, who thought it was a showdown, closed his eyes.
Fortunately, the changed pitcher Kim Dae-yu struck out Kim Young-woong, and KIA secured a valuable victory in the first- and second-place fight. However, Yang Hyun-jong naturally felt disappointed. It could only be interpreted that the coach did not trust him. Perhaps that's why Lee gave a bold back hug to Yang who entered the dugout. From that moment to the next day, director Lee's shock back hug became a hot topic. As a young coach, there were many opinions that it was novel and good to put down one's authority and actively communicate with the player.
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Director Lee also spoke with Yang Hyeon-jong. He said this situation could happen in the future. Yang Hyun-jong is also willing to understand. He does his best to win one game somehow, and the coach must make a clear judgment. Only when we win, we can minimize the fatigue of the players."
Regarding the back hug situation, coach Lee said, `Yang Hyun-jong went into the locker room, and he remained in the dugout and gave high-fives to the players. I went and said I'm sorry. It's not a calculated action."
Then "I've been a player, so I know how I feel. It was also very difficult for me to get out of that situation. There is a strong idea that we should win when the first, second and third starting pitchers go out. I thought it was a very important match because we were in first place. If this happens in the future, I will fully talk to the players. I think our players will accept it well. You have to accept it again" he said.
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