"The part that made me angry was..." Doosan's manager makes an unprecedented stern remark; will he truly awaken this time?

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Won-hyung (54), manager of the Doosan Bears, who rarely offers harsh criticism to players, unexpectedly displayed strong emotions as if making a deliberate statement. He conveyed a firm message with deep meaning to Choi Seung-yong (25), who has been performing as the team's fifth starter.

Choi Seung-yong is currently serving as the team's fifth starter. This season, he has appeared in 21 games with a record of 3 wins and 11 losses, an ERA of 5.74. Over a total of 100⅓ innings, he allowed 120 hits (including 10 home runs), issued 36 walks, recorded 72 strikeouts, and gave up 69 runs (64 earned). His WHIP stands at 1.55, and his batting average against is 0.292. He has managed to achieve a quality start (six innings with three or fewer earned runs) on three occasions.

Choi Seung-yong started against the LG Twins in their home game at Jamsil on the 2nd, pitching four innings while allowing six hits and one walk, striking out two batters, and giving up four runs (all earned). He failed to complete five innings and was saddled with the loss. His 11 losses mark the most by a single player in the KBO League this season.

The four runs allowed in the first inning were particularly painful. After one out, he gave up a hit to Park Hae-min and a double to Austin. With two outs, Moon Bo-kyung hit a two-run sacrifice fly to left-center field. He then consecutively surrendered singles to Jeong Jung-bin and Koo Bon-hyeok on the left side of the infield, bringing the bases loaded. At that point, Park Dong-won hit an infield single toward third base, allowing both the runner from third and the runner from second to score. Ultimately, Doosan could not overcome this deficit and lost 1-5.

Ahead of the LG game on the 3rd, Manager Kim met with reporters and addressed questions about Choi Seung-yong: "Of course, we can concede runs in the first inning. However, what made me particularly angry was that after allowing a hit in the first inning, instead of throwing pitches with clear intent after two strikes, he kept delivering fastballs or breaking balls too much down the middle. This gives opposing batters an easy opportunity to attack." He spoke with evident determination.

He continued, "This pattern has been repeating throughout the entire season. While I often give positive feedback during practice, ultimately it is a problem that (Choi) Seung-yong must resolve himself. Seung-yong is no longer in his first or second year; he is already in his sixth season. For about five seasons up to this point, he has consistently received opportunities as a starter. However, the fact that he keeps showing the same lack of progress means he needs to reflect on himself once again. I believe he must prepare thoroughly after the season ends." He delivered an unusually strong message.

These words naturally came from a desire for Choi Seung-yong to perform even better. Manager Kim added, "Still, he is a pitcher who has consistently worked through the rotation. Although he is not one of the top three starters but rather the fifth, my hope is that he can improve even slightly within that role. That's why I feel this way. There are moments of frustration." He reiterated his point sharply once more.

During the Asian Games period, Doosan will move Kwak Bin and Choi Seung-yong-i (CEO) to another team. This means two starting pitchers will be unavailable simultaneously. Manager Kim stated, "Fortunately, Benjamin is moving according to the normal schedule, but we must closely monitor his pitch count. Considering such situations, Seung-yong is absolutely essential." He urged him to strive even harder.

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*This content was translated by AI.