"As a manager, I feel bad."
Despite the two-game winning streak, the 'National Hitter' was somber.
Two days of rest tasted like honey. The Doosan Bears will face the Kiwoom Heroes at the Gocheok SkyDome on the 7th.
In a pregame interview, Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop apologized for his bullpen, which was under a lot of pressure last week. "It's a good break for some pitchers who pitched three straight games. Kwak-bin today and Brandon tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to their roles as starters," he said.
"The bullpen situation is much different than before the season. We don't have Chung Chul-won, we don't have Kim Myung-shin. But Kim Kang-ryul, who was not in camp, is doing a good job. Lee Byung-heon, Choi Ji-kang, Kim Taek-yeon, and the younger guys are stepping up. It's a good sign."
Lee Byung-heon and Choi Ji-kang are the first and second most-used pitchers this season. They have played 19⅔ innings in 21 games and 17⅔ innings in 20 games, respectively. 스포츠토토 Park Chi-guk also pitched 18 innings in 18 games. Hong Gun-hee pitched three games in a row last week from May 2-4, while Lee Byung-heon pitched three games in four days from May 1-4 and was responsible for the last two wins last week.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, "Pitching is still my strength. He has a good command, but last year, he lacked confidence because his pitches came and went a bit. Compared to last year, he is much better this year. He's a young player, so he'll get better," he smiled.
"I'm sorry and grateful. He himself says, 'It's okay to throw every day,' but it's a human body. I'm trying to take care of him as much as I can, but the games are so intense these days... I'm sure he'll be fine for a full season. It's a must-win situation, so there's no choice. The team is also worried."