'Overcoming 2 ⅔ innings without losing a point → 5G ERA 1.08' When he was runner-up four years ago, he was 'Bulpen ace'Starting collapse 'Madangsoe', try again for the Taegeuk mark

Oct 14, 2024

A game between SSG and Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 23rd, Doosan's Lee Young-ha is pitching hard. Jamsil = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.09.23/

Lee Young-ha (27, Doosan Bears) will challenge Taegeukmark once again

2019 Premier 12. Lee Young-ha has appeared in five of the eight matches South Korea has played. The most competitions among Korean players.

He played his part as a bullpens. He played more than one inning in all the games he took the mound. In particular, in the final against Japan, he became the second pitcher after Yang Hyun-jong and blocked two ⅔ innings without losing a point, showing a 'Japanese killer'. Lee Young-ha held out well in the thin ice match, which was losing 3-4, but as the lineup did not explode, South Korea eventually lost 3-5 and finished the tournament as runner-up.

'2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12" Super Round match between South Korea and the United States was held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 11th. Korean Lee Young-ha, who struck out the U.S. spring with two outs and runners on second and third in the top of the sixth inning, is cheering. Tokyo (Japan) = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2019.11.11/

In 2019, Lee Young-ha started for his team Doosan and spent the 'career high' season with 17 wins (4 losses) and an ERA of 3.64. By spraying a strong ball of 150km/h, he proved why Doosan chose it as the first designation in 2016.

Since then, there have been ups and downs, but this season he has had a successful year as an all-weather bullpen.

This season, Lee Young-ha appeared in 59 games and threw 65 ⅓ innings with a 3.99 ERA with 5 wins, 4 losses, 2 saves and 5 holds. He played the most innings as a bullpen pitcher on the team with Lee Byung-hun. If Lee Byung-hun cut it short with a left-hander one-point, Lee Young-ha became a support by playing multiple innings in Doosan, where the starter collapsed due to foreigners' departure. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop also expressed his faith in Lee Young-ha throughout the season.

Although his pace briefly declined due to injuries in the middle of the season, he pitched 12 innings in 10 games in September, leaving a comprehensive record of 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, and struck out both out counts in the first game of the wild card game with KT Wiz.

Lee Young-ha, who has been recognized for his performance this season, was included in the preliminary entry of the Premier 12 in November, and up to 35 people on the training list were listed.

A game between the Doosan Bears and the KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium on the 29th. Head coach Ryu Joong-il and president Koo Hu-yeon are watching the game. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.05.29/

The Korean national team will begin its convocation training at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul on the 24th.

The plan is to watch the performance during the training period and select the final 28 days of the list. There are plenty of resources for right-handed pitchers on the training list of 35. There are 13 members including Yoo Young-chan (LG), Ko Young-pyo, Park Young-hyun, So Hyung-joon, Um Sang-baek (KT), Cho Byung-hyun (SSG), Kwak Bin, Kim Taek-yeon, Lee Young-ha (Doosan), Jeong Hae-young, Jeon Sang-hyun (KIA), Won Tae-in (Samsung), and Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha).

The Power Enhancement Committee has made a preliminary list of young athletes in their 20s who are expected to play at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the 2028 LA Olympics. Following last year's Hangzhou Asian Games and APBC, young players who should lead Korean baseball in the future aim to strengthen their competitiveness in higher-level international competitions through Premier 12, he explained the factors considering entry selection.

The game between KT and Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 14th, Doosan's Lee Young-ha is gesturing to Yang Eui-ji after catching KT Hwang Jae-kyun with a double play in the top of the sixth inning with no outs. Jamsil = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.09.14/

As there are many players who have performed well in the regular season and postseason, Lee Young-ha's boarding of the final entry cannot be optimistic. However, showing good performance as an all-weather bullpen throughout the season and being able to use it in any situation as a "bulpens all-around key" is expected to be a plus factor for Lee Young-ha. Also, a clear performance in international competitions can be a positive factor.

The national team, which was selected for the final entry for Team Korea, will hold training and practice matches at Gocheok Dome on the 24th. After two warm-up matches with the Cuban national team from November 1st to 2nd, he will depart for Taiwan on November 8th to start training for adaptation there.

Korea, which is in Group B along with Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Australia, will play its first round in Taipei, Taiwan, from Nov. 13-18.

bellstop@sportschosun.com