'7, 8, 9 Innings Ironclad Pitching' ERA No. 1 Doosan, Power of the 'Watuwa' Winning Coach

*This content was translated by AI.

"How well you hold on in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings is crucial."

Kim Won-hyung, 54, manager of the Doosan Bears, said this ahead of the team's first game of the week against the KT Wiz at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 16th.

Doosan's closer Kim Taek-yeon (21) had been sidelined with a shoulder injury in late April and did not return to the first team until the 10th, a month and a half later. In the meantime, Lee Young-ha (29) filled the gap steadily.

Manager Kim added, "Lee Young-ha has been doing well, so I told Kim Taek-yeon that it would be better to pitch a bit earlier in the game for now. We plan to have Kim Taek-yeon pitch the 8th inning and Lee Young-ha the 9th."

The manager's wish became reality. In the game against KT on the 18th, Doosan escaped a losing streak with an ironclad relief pitching strategy where three relievers each pitched one scoreless inning from the 7th onward.

On that day, Doosan's starting pitcher Choi Min-seok (20) allowed one run over six innings and left the mound. Lee Yong-chan (37), who entered in the top of the 7th with the score tied 1-1, recorded two strikeouts and cleanly retired three batters. Lee, who became the winning pitcher (his third win of the season), continued a scoreless streak that began on May 31 against the Samsung Lions, spanning eight consecutive games.

After Park Chan-ho's RBI hit in the bottom of the 7th gave Doosan a 2-1 lead, Kim Taek-yeon came out in the top of the 8th as planned by the manager. Facing the top of the order, he allowed a bunt single to first baseman Choi Won-jun but retired Kim Hyun-soo with a third-base foul fly and struck out Ahn Hyun-min. He walked Hilliard intentionally and got Heo Kyung-min to ground out to the second baseman, finishing the inning scoreless. This was his first hold since the June 1, 2024, game against the LG Twins, more than two years later.

The top of the 9th was Lee Young-ha's turn. He also retired three batters with two strikeouts and an infield grounder, preserving the thrilling one-run victory at 2-1. After switching to the closer role, he recorded his 10th save of the season without a single loss.

Doosan has had a steady stream of injured players since the early part of this season, including starters and relievers such as Choi Won-jun, Park Chi-guk, Kim Taek-yeon, Yang Jae-hoon, Kim Jeong-woo, and Choi Jun-ho. Nevertheless, as of the 18th, the team's ERA (4.01) ranks first. The starting pitching ERA is also first at 3.96, while the bullpen ERA is second at 4.07, behind Samsung (3.84).

A major factor here is the mound management skills of manager Kim Won-hyung, a legendary pitcher with 134 career wins who led the SSG Landers to a 'wire-to-wire' championship in 2022. Manager Kim is praised for giving starting pitchers alternating rest even amid difficult mound conditions and for efficiently deploying relievers while considering game situations and physical conditioning.

Manager Kim said, "It's best to seize the lead early and convert it into a win, but this year the games have been so back-and-forth. It seems like all teams are once again realizing the importance of the bullpen. I believe Kim Taek-yeon will fully understand the middle-relief role. I trust that all players consider the team's success as the top priority."

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*This content was translated by AI.