*This content was translated by AI.
Signs of change are emerging in the 2026 KBO League closer landscape. 'Original' closers who had switched to middle relief roles are gradually preparing to return to their original positions.
The first shot was fired by Lotte Giants. Kim Tae-hyung, manager of Lotte, stated ahead of the the 2nd game against Doosan Bears at Jamsil: "Kim Won-jung will now move back to the closer role, and Choi Jun-yong will step forward. It seems Jun-yong and Iimura can handle the 7th or 8th innings, or even the 6th in truly critical situations."
At the start of this season, Lotte deployed Choi Jun-yong as the closer instead of Kim Won-jung, who missed proper preparation for the season after being involved in a traffic accident in December last year. Choi Jun-yong recorded 14 saves and was praised for faithfully fulfilling his new role.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "Jun-yong has good stuff and performed well," but also explained the reason for the position change: "Won-jung's arm and everything else seem to have returned to normal, and he naturally has more experience as a closer than Jun-yong."
Like Lotte this season, another team that switched its original closer to middle relief and introduced a new face is the KIA Tigers and Doosan Bears.
KIA has started with Sung Young-tak as the new closer instead of Jung Hae-young. Sung Young-tak contributed 12 saves but recently struggled, allowing five runs in the June 20 game against KT Wiz and two runs in the July 1 game against SSG Landers.
In response, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho announced on the 2nd that for the remaining first-half games, they would operate a collective closer system featuring Jung Hae-young, Sung Young-tak, Jeon Sang-hyun, and Jo Sang-woo. Starting from the second half beginning on the 16th, they plan to designate one of them as the official closer.
Doosan had Lee Young-ha take over the closer role after Kim Taek-yeon was sidelined in mid-April due to a shoulder injury. Even after returning to the first team on June 10, Kim Taek-yeon has continued to pitch as a middle reliever.
Lee Young-ha also recorded 12 saves and excellently filled the gap left by Kim Taek-yeon, but recently showed signs of instability, allowing two runs in back-to-back games (June 26 vs. KIA) and three runs on July 1 against Lotte.
Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung said that when Kim Taek-yeon returned, he told him: "Taek-yeon, for now, I'd like you to pitch a bit further forward as a middle reliever. At some point, you'll be able to return to your original role, so let's keep playing and find the right timing."
Starting with Kim Won-jung, there is a growing atmosphere that Jung Hae-young and Kim Taek-yeon will also have opportunities to reclaim their closer roles.
While these players were away, the saves leaderboard this season has been led by Kim Jae-yoon (Samsung, 20), Son Ju-young (LG, 19), and Park Young-hyun (KT, 15). If Kim Won-jung (currently 3 saves), Jung Hae-young (2 saves), and Kim Taek-yeon (3 saves) return to their positions, new variables are expected not only in team standings but also in the overall saves landscape.
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*This content was translated by AI.
