'And' KIA bullpen has truly become stronger! ERA 2.50, former closer sent to 2nd division with 'no room left'... Manager also didn't forget: "Once he completes exactly ten days, we will bring Hyung-beom up first"

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho (45) expressed gratitude toward Lee Hyung-beom (32) and promised to recall him.

On the 20th, ahead of the Suwon KT Wiz game, KIA made changes to its first-division roster. It registered Hwang Dong-ha as the starting pitcher for the day and removed Lee Hyung-beom to make room.

Lee Hyung-beom had allowed a solo home run to Jo Dae-hyun the previous day (19th), recording two innings with one earned run. However, neither poor performance nor injury was the reason for his removal from the first-division roster. Manager Lee Beom-ho stated, "Hyung-beom was not sent down to the second division due to injury. We needed to start Dong-ha as the starting pitcher, and we also had Sang-hyun on the roster. It was the right timing for Hyung-beom to step aside."

Lee Hyung-beom joined KIA through the KBO second-round draft after the 2023 season. Over the past two years, he appeared in 28 games and pitched 25 innings, but this year he has contributed with 14 games, an ERA of 2.50, 18 innings, and 12 strikeouts.

When pitchers are fatigued, there is no more reliable bullpen arm than Lee Hyung-beom. In a regular season requiring 144 games, it is impossible to always deploy the top relievers. Moreover, even in games where the outcome is already decided, someone is needed to hold the line through the ninth inning. Just this week, KIA faced a six-game series against the first-place LG Twins and the second-place KT Wiz, aiming to clearly distinguish between games they could win and those they might lose.

This was the case in the games on the 16th against LG in Gwangju and on the 19th against KT in Suwon. In the 16th game, KIA surrendered three runs to LG in the seventh inning, falling behind 2-8 with a heavy loss outlook. At that moment, Lee Hyung-beom took the mound in the eighth inning and held the line for one scoreless inning.

Conversely, in the 19th game, KIA was leading 7-2, so there was no need to deploy the top relievers. Kwak Do-gyu, Jung Hae-young, Sung Young-tak, and Jo Sang-woo were already unavailable for the day due to having pitched on consecutive days. In that situation, Lee Hyung-beom held the line for two innings on 29 pitches, allowing the game to end with only three pitchers used, which made the manager grateful.

Manager Lee said, "I told Hyung-beom that he pitched so well and thanked him. I said I truly appreciate him and will bring him up first once he completes exactly ten days. I sent him off with sincere words."

Lee Hyung-beom, who previously served as a closer, is now classified as a chase reliever, which also indicates that KIA's bullpen has become stronger. Lee Hyung-beom is a seasoned veteran who led the Doosan Bears to a Korean Series championship in 2019 with 67 games, 6 wins, 3 losses, 10 holds, 19 saves, and an ERA of 2.66.

Yet this year, there is no room for Lee Hyung-beom in KIA's bullpen. With closer Sung Young-tak firmly in place, Jo Sang-woo and Kwak Do-gyu have each gone scoreless in six and eight games in June, respectively, fulfilling the role of top relievers. Additionally, Kim Beom-soo and Jung Hae-young have revived with ERAs of 3.38 and 4.05 in eight games in June, allowing Lee Hyung-beom to get some rest.

Furthermore, veteran right-hander Lee Tae-yang, who had been sidelined due to shoulder injury, has resumed technical training and is expected to return by the end of July. However, there is no room for complacency. Manager Lee admitted, "I am always worried about another injury. Even our top relievers need rest. I constantly think about how to best utilize other players in such situations."

At the same time, he smiled and added, "Those other players are pitching well right now, so I have confidence in them and send them to the mound. It seems we have created an environment where players can be sent out in a better atmosphere."

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*This content was translated by AI.