KT WIZ coach Lee Kang-cheol and closing pitcher Kim Jae-yoon gave a thumbs up to pitcher Park Young-hyeon, who was selected to the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team, for his excellent performance. Park Young-hyun preserved the team's valuable victory with two innings of saves in the Super Round match between Korea and Japan.
Young-Hyun Park took the mound in relief in the top of the 8th inning in the first game of the Super Round against Japan held at Shaoxing Baseball Stadium in Hangzhou, China on October 5, allowing 2 hits, 1 strikeout, and no runs in 2 innings.
Park Young-hyun took the mound in the top of the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead and struck out the leadoff hitter. Park Young-hyun, who then induced a ground ball to the shortstop and got 2 outs, was hit by a double from the follow-up batter and fell into crisis. However, Park Young-hyun caught the opponent's pinch hitter with a fly ball to center field and prevented a run.
The national team ran away with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning with 2 outs and runners on second base through Noh Si-hwan's timely hit with an RBI single to left.
In the top of the 9th inning, the national team bench replaced Park Young-hyun, the existing closing pitcher, Ko Woo-seok. Park Young-hyun, who was playing multiple innings, was in danger of reaching first and second base with no outs due to an error by the leadoff hitter and shortstop and a hit to right. However, Park Young-hyun ended the game without conceding a double play through consecutive infield ground balls. On this day, Park Young-hyun overwhelmed the Japanese batting lineup with a fierce pitch with a maximum speed of 156 km/h.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol, the team's head coach, watched Park Young-hyun's pitch and gave a thumbs up. Coach Lee met with reporters ahead of the Suwon KIA Tigers game on October 5 and said, “(Park) Young-Hyun looked really good at the ball. I was surprised to see restraints that seemed like they had never been filmed here. He smiled and said, “I hope that when he returns to the team, he will hit 156 km/h again in the post-season.”
Kim Jae-yoon, who watched junior Park Young-hyun pitching for the national team, also expressed his admiration. Kim Jae-yoon, who met with reporters after achieving 32 saves in the season against Suwon KIA on the 5th, said, “I was able to watch the national team game because it was before our team’s game. (Park) Younghyun’s ball flew away alive three times (laughter). I felt like he made a really great pitch. Even though he threw a lot of balls for his team, it was amazing that he achieved a save on the mound in the Korea-Japan game under great pressure. He nodded, saying, “He is a young junior, but he is a player with a lot to learn mentally.”
KT is playing the remaining games without Park Young-hyun. Despite the absence of Park Young-hyun, KT maintained its second place in the league by accumulating victories in the final game of the season. If they get just two wins out of the remaining four games, second place is virtually confirmed.
Kim Jae-yoon said, “The absence of Young-hyun left a big gap in power, but thanks to the remaining bullpen pitchers filling the gap well, we were able to maintain second place. In particular, Lee Sang-dong’s pitch has really improved. (Son) Thanks to Donghyun and I blocking him from the front, I don’t think Younghyun felt the empty space. If Younghyun returns, our team's bullpen will not be left out no matter what. “If he moves up to second place in the postseason, he will be able to throw more powerful balls because he will get enough rest,” he said.