Lee Sung-yong's ambiguous expression: "(Jo) Byung-hyun pitched two innings? Still, he went for the sake of the country..." [Incheon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Jo) Byung-hyun pitched two innings."

Lee Sung-yong (55), manager of the SSG Landers, said with an ambiguous expression. He was slightly concerned but could not openly express his dissatisfaction in this situation.

The manager met with reporters ahead of the match against KT Wiz held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 22nd, discussing the Korea-Taiwan Asian Games match that took place the previous day (the 21st) at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. SSG's closer Jo Byung-hyun (24), following starter Kwak Bin (27 of Doosan Bears), entered in the bottom of the 7th inning and held the line for two innings without allowing any runs, recording three strikeouts on just 22 pitches.

In the KBO League, it is rare for a closer to pitch two innings, which equals six outs. Regarding this, Manager Lee Sung-yong initially smiled and said, "No comment," then added, "I've been managing for three years, and I don't think Byung-hyun has ever pitched two innings before. If he pitches more, maybe around four outs?"

However, the manager's memory was not entirely accurate. After switching to a relief pitcher role, Jo Byung-hyun had pitched two innings on three occasions. On April 9, 2024, in a game against Kiwoom where they trailed 4-5 in the bottom of the 7th inning, and on June 13, 2024, in a game against KIA where they led 5-1 in the top of the 6th inning, he entered the game and pitched two innings each time. At that point, his role was as an intermediate reliever.

Even after taking on the full-time closer duties, he pitched two innings in a game against Lotte on September 7, 2024. He took the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning when the score was tied 1-1 and remained responsible through the bottom of the 11th inning.

Last year and this year, his longest appearances were each one and two-thirds innings, occurring on August 3, 2025, against Doosan and April 21, 2026, against Samsung. Since pitching two innings was already two years ago, it is not entirely incorrect for Manager Lee Sung-yong to say it felt like the first time.

However, when it comes to managing pitchers on the national team wearing the Taegeuk mark at the call of the country, one cannot criticize or question the decisions too much. Manager Lee Sung-yong said, "Still, since he went for the sake of the country, I think we just need him to bring back a gold medal. That's the most important thing." He then added with a smile, "Yesterday, I was also watching (the game) and cheering. Well, his pitch count was low, so..." before concluding his remarks.

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*This content was translated by AI.