Seoul: In recording a nervy save for the KT Wiz in their 3-2 win over the Doosan Bears on Tuesday night, closer Park Yeong-hyun labored through the ninth inning with 29 pitches. It was the second-highest pitch count for the right-hander this season, as he gave up two runs on three hits. But if a save situation arises again Wednesday in the second game of a three-game set against the Bears, Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul knows exactly whom he will summon from the bullpen.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stated, "He will be ready to go. Numbers say he tends to pitch better when he doesn't have too much rest," in a pregame scrum at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "Last night, he pitched after three days of rest and look what happened." This has been an up-and-down year for the All-Star closer. He does lead the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with nine saves, but his ERA sits at a mediocre 4.15. He has walked 10 batters in only 17 1/3 innings and has a walk rate of a career-worst 12.8 percent -- compared with his personal-best 7.1 percent last year.
Much has been made about Park's dip in fastball velocity earlier in the year, though he is actually averaging a career-high 148.6 kilometers per hour with his four-seamers, up 2.4 kph from a year ago. According to Lee, a pitching legend from his playing days, it's not so much the velocity for Park but his arsenal. Park is throwing the fastball about 80 percent of the time, compared with some 69 percent last year.
"There are days when his fastballs are really good and days when they are quite hittable," Lee said. "He doesn't really throw any other pitch. But he's still the best closer we have." Lee said he doesn't yet trust setup man Son Dong-hyun to potentially take over as closer, despite Son's excellent 0.49 ERA through 18 1/3 innings this season. "If I put anyone else in the closer role, they will get all nervous and struggle," Lee predicted. "I have to trust Yeong-hyun going forward."