'Save after 693 days': Doosan's Lee Young-ha, why did he say "Thank you to the younger players"? [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Thank you to the younger players."

Doosan pitcher Lee Young-ha (29) showed more concern for his team's younger players than celebrating his first save in nearly two years.

On April 30, during a game against the Samsung Lions at Seoul Jamsil Stadium, Lee entered in the top of the 9th inning with his team leading 8-5 and pitched a scoreless inning to secure the win. This was his first save in 693 days, since the June 6, 2024, game against the Changwon NC Dinos. It was also his first appearance in 115 games.

After Park Jun-soon's three-run double in the bottom of the 8th inning, Lee took the mound. He issued a walk to the first batter, Lee Seong-gyu, but remained composed and struck out pinch hitter Kim Jae-hyeok on three pitches. With a wild pitch in Kim Do-hwan's at-bat, he found himself in a one-out, second-base situation but quickly recorded an out on a center field fly ball. He then struck out Kim Jae-sang, who had three hits that day, on a swinging strikeout to finish the game scoreless.

Taking over as the closer while Kim Taek-yeon is injured, he also took the mound in the top of the 9th inning the previous day (29th, against Samsung) with a 4-0 lead, pitching a scoreless inning with one hit allowed and three strikeouts.

After the game, Lee told the team through a statement: "My condition was good yesterday, and I'm satisfied that I could finish the game scoreless today as well. The opportunity came because Jun-soon (Park) handled things in the earlier offense, and I think luck was on my side. Since the game was long, I thought we should pitch as aggressively as possible and finish quickly."

He also spoke about his sense of responsibility as a veteran on the pitching staff. "Until Taek-yeon (Kim) returns, I will do my best in the role given to me," he said. "It's not just Taek-yeon; there are players like Won-joon (Choi) and Chi-guk (Park) who are also out due to injury. I hope they all recover quickly and return to health as soon as possible."

He added, "The young pitchers are doing well right now. I always tell the younger players to believe in themselves and in each other. If they let go of the pressure and enjoy themselves on the mound, good results will follow. I want to take this opportunity to thank the younger players who have been pitching well."

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*This content was translated by AI.