The passing years are about to become savage. ‘Great Pitcher’ KIA Tigers Yang Hyeon-jong showed a lethargic pitch. While it collapsed from the first inning, there was no record of 8 runs due to heavy rain of luck. Has the real aging curve come to Yang Hyeon-jong, who has dedicated himself to digesting 2262 innings wearing a KIA uniform for a long time?메이저사이트
KIA played against the LG Twins in Gwangju on August 8 and recorded a no game in the rain at the end of the second inning.
On this day, KIA, which aimed for a 4-game winning streak against the leading LG, put Yang Hyeon-jong on the starting mound. In fact, it was a day when Yang Hyeon-jong needed a rebound as well. Yang Hyeon-jong has achieved only one quality start since June (6 innings and 1 run against KT on June 24).
KIA pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong goes down the mound after finishing the inning against LG in Gwangju on August 8. Photo = KIA Tigers
Moreover, out of 10 starts since June, he has only finished the sixth inning twice. Recently, as he has accumulated too many pitches from the beginning of the game, Yang Hyeon-jong’s advantage, innings digestion, is not shining at all.
Above all, Yang Hyeon-jong’s record of victory was desperate. Yang Hyeon-jong, who failed to become a winning pitcher in the last 3 games in a row, is staying at 5 wins this season. Yang Hyeon-jong, who has been recording double-digit multipliers for 8 consecutive years, can reach double-digit multipliers for 9 consecutive years only if he wins 5 more games in his remaining season appearances.
However, Yang Hyeon-jong continued the sluggish pitch flow from the first inning in the starting pitching on the 8th. Yang Hyeon-jong got a heavy hit from lead batter Hong Chang-ki in the beginning of the first inning, then gave a bunt hit to follow-up hitter Moon Seong-joo. Afterwards, Yang Hyeon-jong was hit by Kim Hyun-soo and Austin Dean in a row.
Yang Hyeon-jong caught Oh Ji-hwan’s bunt ball and threw it to third base, catching second base runner Kim Hyeon-soo out and sighing. However, after Yang Hyeon-jong was hit by Moon Bo-kyung, Park Dong-won gave a sacrifice ball to center fielder. Yang Hyeon-jong, who was also hit by 1 RBI at the right time by Park Hae-min, managed to finish the first inning with 5 runs as batter runner Park Hae-min was suffocated while running.
Yang Hyeon-jong could not stop the momentum of LG’s other line even at the beginning of the second inning. Yang Hyeon-jong scored the 8th run by giving a timely hit to Oh Ji-hwan after being hit by Moon Seong-joo and Kim Hyun-soo in a row. Yang Hyeon-jong, who barely finished the second inning, completely collapsed with 9 hits, 1 walk and 8 runs (6 earned) in 2 innings.
The fastball restraint that declines every year, did the ‘aging curve’ come to Yang Hyeon-jong?
KIA pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong shakes his head in regret after conceding a run against LG in Gwangju on August 8. Photo = KIA Tigers
As soon as Yang Hyeon-jong’s 7 losses in the individual season and the suspension of the team’s 3-game winning streak approached, the sudden heavy rain saved Yang Hyeon-jong and KIA. The game was stopped due to heavy rain during KIA’s attack at the end of the second inning.
While it stopped at 7:14 pm, the rain did not stop even after waiting for 30 minutes. The judges waited for a total of an hour, but the rain got stronger. In the end, the referees declared a no game in the rain, and the joys and sorrows of both teams were mixed.
The KIA took a breather as the game, which virtually gave up the victory at the beginning of the game, turned into a no game in the rain. On this day, LG even put out the ‘Ace’ Plutko, so I felt like I missed all the victories right in front of me.
However, it is also true that the sluggishness of the ‘great pitcher’ on this day is uncomfortable to pass on due to the luck of no game in the rain. The restraint of the fastball and the decline of the pitch are the decisive blows. Yang Hyeon-jong’s average speed of fastballs is gradually decreasing after the 2020 season (average speed of fast ball 144.2 km/h), season 2022 (average speed of fast ball 142.4 km/h), and season 2023 (average speed of fast ball 142 km/h).
In the match against Samsung Lions in Pohang on August 2nd, Hyeonjong Yang’s average fastball speed fell further to 139.3km/h. In the game on the 8th, the restraint of the fastball was mainly formed in the early 140km/h range. It was an atmosphere where LG batters felt more comfortable with Yang Hyeon-jong’s handling of fastballs and breaking balls. The LG bat was not pushed by Yang Hyeon-jong’s fastball and the scene continued to lead to a fixed hit.
In the end, there is an atmosphere that even looks at Yang Hyeon-jong as to whether the ‘aging curve’ has come. Yang Hyun-jong played 2262.1 innings in 473 appearances in the KBO League. There are only 7 players who have exceeded 2,000 innings in the KBO League, and Hyeon-Jong Yang is the only active player. Considering the huge number of innings that have been devoted for a long time, it is not strange that Yang Hyeon-jong’s pitch and restraint show a downward trend.
Of course, as always, Yang Hyeon-jong is a player who has the power to overcome this difficulty. Every time he was evaluated as having a slump, he showed off his strength. Attention is focusing on whether Yang Hyeon-jong will reverse his view of the ‘aging curve’ and show a dramatic rebound this time. After taking a tempo break, the next start to go up became important.