'Three scoreless innings' Lee Tae-yang's dedication, harvesting his first hold since moving to KIA! "I wanted to save at least one pitcher.""

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers right-hander Lee Tae-yang (36) recorded his first hold since the transfer with three innings of hard pitching to prevent the team's bullpen overload despite the lead by a large score difference. He pitched a commitment to prevent the bullpen pitchers from being consumed at all.

Lee Tae-yang took the mound in the top of the sixth inning with a 15-5 lead in the home game against the Samsung Lions at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 8th, blocking three innings with a pitch close to perfection with one hit and no runs. As a result, Lee Tae-yang tasted the joy of her first hold harvest after wearing the KIA uniform.

Although the score gap was large, it was not a comfortable situation. This is because starter Kim Tae-hyung was replaced early without completing the fourth inning, and Samsung was chasing after him fiercely by scoring four points in the fourth inning alone. In a situation that could lead to the consumption of the must-win group, Lee Tae-yang stabilized the KIA mound by taking responsibility for nine outcounts alone.

Lee Tae-yang, who moved from Hanwha Eagles to KIA ahead of this season, has been performing well despite his early days of the season, recording an outstanding record of 1.50 ERA with one hold without winning or losing in three games for KIA, including the game on the 9th. The average on-base allowed rate (WHIP) per inning is 0.67, putting less than one runner on average per inning. The hit rate is also 0.143, which is very good.

After the game, Lee Tae-yang said, "The team's atmosphere has not been good recently, but I'm happy to contribute to the victory," adding, "I think I've played the role I've been thinking about and preparing since I first joined the team."

In particular, there was a commitment to the team behind the self-imposed 3 innings. Lee Tae-yang said, "After playing two innings, coach Lee Dong-gul said he could hold one more inning," adding, "I had a little personal greed, but I told him that I would take the mound again because I thought I could save the pitchers behind me if I was in charge of one more inning."

He then said, "I pitched aggressively with the thought that it was not as good as a walk. He added, "I had good chemistry with (Han) Junsu and I'm satisfied with the fact that I made a mistake."

Lee Tae-yang, who aimed to be a "pitcher who plays long innings" since the transfer, said, "I was able to check my condition through today's game. The goal of this season is to firmly protect the mound of the first team in any situation, he stressed.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.