*This content was translated by AI.
Jung Hae-young (25), a relief pitcher for the KIA Tigers who achieved 150 career saves in KBO League history, has suddenly decided to enlist in the Armed Forces Baseball Team, drawing attention even in Taiwan. Given that Taiwan and South Korea will compete for the gold medal at the Asian Games this September, there is significant interest in his situation.
On the 8th, the Taiwanese sports media outlet 'CTINews (Zhongtian News)' reported prominently on Jung Hae-young's planned enlistment into the Armed Forces Baseball Team, detailing his circumstances of having to leave the mound temporarily due to military service issues despite achieving unparalleled results at a young age.
The media stated, "Jung Hae-young is a veteran closer who has already accumulated 150 career saves at just 25 years old," and added, "He made a dazzling debut with 47 games and 11 holds in his first year, immediately took over the closer role the following season, and even set a record as the youngest player to reach 150 saves in KBO history."
However, the media heavily highlighted that he missed an opportunity for military service exemption after his outstanding performance. Regarding Jung Hae-young, they noted, "He has not had the chance to participate in the Asian Games, which is considered a key opportunity for military benefits among Korean professional baseball players, on two occasions. During the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, he failed to make the national team roster due to poor performance, and this season as well, he struggled through a severe slump with an ERA of 6.03 in 37 games, failing to earn the right to wear the Taegeuk mark." In fact, Jung Hae-young's detailed statistics for this season are not particularly good. His batting average against stands at 0.303, which is somewhat high, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), a measure of stability, reaches 1.60. Coincidentally, he performed poorly only during the season when the Asian Games were held.
As a result, Jung Hae-young decided to resolve his military service issue promptly by applying to join the Armed Forces Baseball Team (국COLONY육부대) after finishing this season. In fact, the Armed Forces Baseball Team confirmed the list of successful applicants on the 6th and subsequently notified each player individually. Among the 11th successful candidates, Jung Hae-young was included. At KIA, right-handed pitcher Han Jae-seung and infielder Yoon Do-hyun also appeared on the list of successful applicants for the Ham Kke (SVP) Baseball Team alongside Jung Hae-young.
The media added, "Jung Hae-young will enlist in the Armed Forces Baseball Team this December and is scheduled to be discharged in June 2028," noting that "his march toward setting the youngest record for saves will likely come to a temporary halt."
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*This content was translated by AI.
