'Only One' Left: Youngest 150-Save Record Delayed Again... Jung Hae-young to Return as Closer Not Expected Soon "Seong Young-tak is Performing Well Now" [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho (46) announced that Jung Hae-young (25) will not be used as the team's closer for the foreseeable future.

Manager Lee Beom-ho explained changes to the first-team roster ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season away game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd.

Prior to the game, KIA removed Kim Tae-hyung (20), who had been serving as the fifth starter, from the first-team roster and added Jung Hae-young. This marks Jung's return to the first team just 11 days after being removed on the 11th. Over four games this season, Jung posted a win-loss record of 0-0 with one save, an ERA of 16.88, 2⅔ innings pitched, five walks, one strikeout, a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 2.63, and a batting average against of 0.273, suffering from severe struggles. On the 10th, during a game against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles, Jung allowed a two-run home run to left field by Baek-ho Kang and was subsequently sent down to the second team.

His performance in the second team was also not particularly strong. In a game against the Doosan Futures team on the 20th, Jung pitched one inning without recording a strikeout, allowing three hits, one walk, and one run. Although he gave up a run, it was encouraging that his fastball reached speeds up to 149 km/h and that 10 of his 13 total pitches (8 fastballs, 4 forkballs, and 1 slider) were strikes.

Manager Lee Beom-ho stated, "We decided to rest Kim Tae-hyung for now and plan to start Hwang Dong-ha this weekend. We believe it's better for Kim to take a break. Among the pitchers available in the Futures League, we judged Jung Hae-young to be the best, so we brought him up."

Jung will not immediately be used as the closer. Instead, Seong Young-tak (22), who was temporarily appointed as the interim closer, is currently delivering top-tier performance over 10 games with a win-loss record of 0-0, three holds, two saves, an ERA of 0.77, 11⅔ innings pitched, two walks, 10 strikeouts, a WHIP of 0.94, and a batting average against of 0.222. Notably, against left-handed batters, he holds an exceptionally low batting average against of 0.083.

Manager Lee Beom-ho expressed gratitude, saying, "For now, Jung Hae-young will start from the chase role. As he improves, he will gradually be used in the 7th and 8th innings. Since Seong Young-tak is performing well, we will entrust the closing duties to him. Jung also emphasized that the team's victory is the most important thing."

As a result, Jung Hae-young's record as the youngest pitcher to reach 150 saves in the KBO will be delayed once again. Jung graduated from Gwangju Daeseong Elementary School, Gwangju Dongseong Middle School, and Gwangju Jeil High School before being selected in the first round of the 2020 KBO Rookie Draft. He recorded his first save in his professional debut season.

Starting with 34 saves the following year, he achieved 20 or more saves for five consecutive seasons, establishing himself as one of the league's premier closers. As the team's momentum grew, he was also on track to break the league record for the youngest pitcher to reach 150 saves.

Jung set the record for the youngest pitcher to reach 100 saves on April 24, 2024, in a game against Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome, and broke the record for the youngest pitcher to achieve 10 saves in five consecutive seasons on May 13, 2025, in a game against Lotte in Gwangju.

As of the 5th, Jung had recorded 149 career saves, leaving just one save away from the 150th-save milestone. The record for the youngest pitcher to reach 150 saves is held by Oh Seung-hwan (retired), who achieved it at 26 years, 9 months, and 20 days. At just 24 years old, Jung is widely expected to break this record. The question remains whether Jung can achieve this historic milestone in the KBO before it becomes too late.

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*This content was translated by AI.