'Not again, the ace reliever?' In the bottom of the 5th with Hanwha trailing 1-5, why Jung Woo-ju? How should we evaluate Kim Kyung-moon's bullpen usage? [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Trailing 1-5, the Hanwha Eagles began to deploy their ace reliever. It was a situation reminiscent of a few days prior. However, there was a clear difference. Unlike the previous time when rain was forecast and the game was ultimately cancelled due to weather, the weather conditions this time were distinctly different.

In the bottom of the 4th inning of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game between the LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles held at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 21st, starter Moon Dong-ju faltered and the defense lost focus, allowing five runs.

With two outs and a runner on second base, Kim Seo-hyun replaced Moon Dong-ju. Up to this point, the move was understandable. Kim Seo-hyun, who had been serving as the closer, was struggling, and since Jack Cushing was being utilized in that role, using Kim Seo-hyun as a chase reliever was fully justifiable.

They managed to finish the 4th inning without further runs, and after allowing one run in the 5th, Jung Woo-ju, the ace reliever, took the mound in the bottom of the 5th.

It was indeed a situation where the game could not be abandoned. Hanwha's lineup still possessed destructive power, and the possibility of a late comeback could not be ruled out.

However, there are limits to bullpen resources, and even if used only in winning situations, a season's worth of usage would naturally accumulate fatigue for the ace reliever. Therefore, in a situation where a team is down by four runs in the middle of a game, it is common for most teams to utilize pitchers classified as chase relievers.

On the 16th, a home game against the Samsung Lions was postponed due to rain. At that time, Jung Woo-ju was brought in during the top of the 8th while trailing 1-5, and when he struggled, Kim Jong-soo was also brought in. In the 9th, the new closer Cushing was deployed.

Hanwha was scheduled to move to Busan Sajik Stadium the following day to begin a three-game series against the Lotte Giants, but rain was forecast for Busan on the 17th. It could be understood that they managed the mound with the certainty of rain.

This time was different. There was no rain forecast for the Jamsil area on the 22nd, making the bullpen usage even harder to justify. Although he is only a second-year professional pitcher, he has already appeared in 11 games this season, making this his 12th appearance. He boasts a number of appearances that is among the highest in the KBO League.

While Jung Woo-ju was pitching, the bullpen was also busy. Park Sang-won, one of the ace relievers, began warming up.

SBS baseball commentator Lee Soon-cheol, watching Jung Woo-ju's appearance, said, "I don't think Jung Woo-ju was sent in as the losing pitcher," but added, "It is a bullpen usage that even fans would find puzzling." Announcer Jung Woo-young pointed out, "I must check this point tomorrow."

In the bottom of the 6th, Park Sang-won, who had been warming up in the bullpen, took the mound. In the top of the 7th, the opposing pitcher faltered, and with the added luck of an error, Hanwha added four runs to tie the game.

Now was the timing to bring in the ace reliever, but many pitchers had already been used. Jo Dong-wook, who has been performing well this season, appeared in the bottom of the 7th but issued a walk with one out. With the opponent executing a sacrifice bunt to reach second base with two outs, Kim Jong-soo was brought in but allowed a go-ahead hit by Austin Dean. Walks were issued again, and in Oh Ji-hwan's at-bat, after securing two strikes, closer Jack Cushing was deployed.

While pitcher substitutions are often influenced by results, the process has repeatedly been something that cannot be justified. As a result, the game became a close contest after the ace reliever was brought in, but it is a stretch to interpret that the ace reliever was used early due to the opponent's struggles and errors. Because the ace reliever has been used inappropriately since the early part of the season, fan frustration has grown. Commissioner Lee Soon-cheol also expressed concern, stating, "If this continues, the pitchers may get exhausted." Above all, the operation appears to lack clear criteria, fueling fan dissatisfaction.

In the end, the comeback failed, and all the ace relievers were used in a losing game. It became a painful game where neither the content nor the result could satisfy anyone.

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*This content was translated by AI.