'SV after 324 days' not Jung Hae-young's priority; "If not Jung Hae-young, then Kwak Do-gyu" — Coach Kim's closer plan [Incheon field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Jo Sang-woo (32, KIA Tigers), who appeared in the first save situation of the second half, secured a scoreless save despite heavy rain, but he was not considered the top candidate for closer by Lee Beom-ho (45).

Ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League road game against SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 18th, Coach Lee Beom-ho told reporters, "We have considered Kwak Do-gyu, Jung Hae-young, and even Jo Sang-woo. If we must fix one as the primary closer for now, it would likely be either Hae-young or Do-gyu."

With Sung Young-tak, who served as the closer in the first half and recorded 13 saves, recently showing signs of decline and relinquishing the closing role, Coach Lee Beom-ho has adopted a collective closer system. He utilized Jo Sang-woo in the first save situation of the second half the previous day to good effect.

Jo Sang-woo, a former saves champion, joined KIA last year and performed well as part of the relief corps but did not emerge as the primary closer candidate. This was his first save in 324 days. After Shirakawa Keisho was pulled out in the fourth inning, Lee Ui-ri, Jung Hae-young, Jeon Sang-hyun, and Kwak Do-gyu were brought in before Jo Sang-woo was called upon, making it appear as though Jo was the top priority.

However, Coach Lee's thinking differed. What mattered more than who would pitch in the ninth inning was considering the opposing lineup. Coach Lee explained, "We kept both Do-gyu and Sang-woo available, while planning to use Hae-young a bit earlier in Incheon and then deploy others afterward. We ultimately judged that using Do-gyu against the central 4th and 5th batters and Sang-woo against the lower-order hitters would be statistically more favorable."

He continued, "In a situation like today's, it could also go the other way — using Sang-woo first and then Do-gyu. For now, we plan to check who has better data in winning games before deciding."

No final decision has been made yet. Coach Lee stated, "For now, we will observe. After the SSG game, we are still considering whether to settle on one closer or adjust based on situations. Hae-young's velocity has improved significantly, which is encouraging. Alternatively, if Do-gyu performs slightly better against right-handed batters, using him could also be a good option."

In similar situations, it does appear that more weight is being placed on Jung Hae-young. Selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, Jung Hae-young has held the team's closer role every season since his debut, except for his rookie year. He has already accumulated 150 saves within seven seasons after his debut.

However, given his ups and downs this season, the intention is to minimize pressure on him. Coach Lee said, "He could also feel stress. I saw yesterday that his velocity was very good, and he appears strong physically. Since baseball is a mental game, we will take that into account. It's better for Hae-young to pitch well."

There are clear reasons why the experienced Jo Sang-woo has been pushed to third priority. Coach Lee explained, "Sang-woo has good velocity, but his pitches often break horizontally, which slightly increases the chance of extra-base hits. In contrast, Hae-young throws pitches that drop from top to bottom; if he has good velocity, those angled pitches are difficult for batters to hit."

Today, KIA will start with James Neill on the mound. Against opposing starter Thomas Hatch, the lineup is arranged as follows: Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Herald Castro (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Han Jun-su (catcher), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Park Sang-jun (first baseman), Park Jung-woo (left fielder), and Jeong Hyun-chang (shortstop).

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*This content was translated by AI.