'SSG Trauma' Finally Broken, James Neill Signs Directly: "Great Chemistry with Han Jun-soo, Just Trying to Break the Bad Luck"

*This content was translated by AI.

Record in 7 games: 0 wins, 3 losses; ERA 5.92.

For KIA Tigers pitcher James Neill (33), SSG Landers has been a nemesis. Despite struggling for three seasons without securing a single win, he finally earned his first victory. The secret lay in his pitch selection.

On the 18th, Neill made his season start against SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field, throwing 91 pitches over 7 innings to allow 4 hits (including 1 home run), 2 walks and hit-by-pitches, record 5 strikeouts, and just 2 earned runs. With ample offensive support from the lineup, he secured his sixth win of the season (5 losses).

Since joining KIA in 2024, Neill posted a 12-5 record with a 2.53 ERA, and last year he went 8-4 with a 2.25 ERA, performing brilliantly. However, he had never secured a win against SSG. Even this season, Neill had failed to get a win in two games.

But today was different. He allowed a solo home run to leadoff hitter Jo Hyung-woo in the bottom of the third inning and gave up consecutive hits to Jung Jun-jae and Park Sung-han, allowing additional runs. However, thanks to the lineup scoring five runs in the top of the third, he had enough cushion.

After regaining his composure, Neill continued to dominate the SSG lineup without wavering, even after allowing two baserunners due to fielding errors by the infielders. He finished the 7th innings with just 91 pitches.

He threw 44 fastballs reaching speeds up to 149 km/h and 28 sweeper pitches as his signature weapon. He mixed in 10 changeups to disrupt timing and 9 cutters that came in faster than the sweeper. SSG batters struggled to make solid contact. Except for the third inning, Neill held them completely in check.

KIA manager Lee Beom-ho praised Neill after the game: "Neill took responsibility for 7 innings first, which greatly helped our bullpen usage. His chemistry with Han Jun-soo was also excellent."

Neill said, "Actually, it took longer than expected to get my first win against SSG. I'm so happy we could win today because the offense led the team very actively, allowing us to secure the victory. Also, by pitching 7 innings, I could reduce the burden on our bullpen, which was also great. Overall, I am very satisfied and pleased with today's game."

It was indeed a nemesis relationship that Neill couldn't help but worry about. "Actually, every pitcher has teams they match well with and teams they don't. SSG might have been one of those teams for me. Actually, I pitched quite well before the season started and also in the last game of last year, so rather than thinking too much about that, I focused more on winning today's game," he explained.

The only change was in his pitch selection method. Today, he did not receive signs from catcher Han Jun-soo but gave them himself. "The biggest change is that I called for all pitches and locations myself," he said. "Actually, my relationship with (Han) Jun-soo wasn't bad at all; we formed a good battery. But looking back, I think our luck was really poor. So today, I did it directly to break that bad luck. Before the game, we had many conversations about how to handle each other. All of those things became the opportunity to win like this," he expressed his satisfaction.

Neill pitched concisely and focused on keeping SSG batters off-balance. "I worked hard to reduce my pitch count from the early stages of the game," Neill said. "In the last game, I only pitched 3⅓ innings, which put too much burden on the bullpen. There was an All-Star break, and I rested for nine days, so I think I washed away the fatigue well and became a good help to the bullpen, which makes me happy."

Regarding Kim Ho-ryeong's spectacular diving catch followed by a quick throw that retired the runner trying to return to first base with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning on first base, Neill said: "Player Kim Ho-ryeong endured all the pressure and made the diving catch. It was a play that could crush the opposing team's spirit." He added, "That reaction came naturally because I was so happy. I couldn't convey it exactly, but player Ho-ryeong probably received the feeling well after receiving a hug." With his awkward Korean, he expressed his gratitude by saying, "Thank you."

Neill, who struggled in two games in July over 8⅓ innings allowing 10 runs, regained his ace instincts from the first game of the second half and secured a pleasant victory. His ERA also dropped from 3.77 to 3.69.

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*This content was translated by AI.