Mired in last place in South Korean baseball, the Kiwoom Heroes have little left to play for this year, other than playing the spoiler role against clubs headed to the postseason.
With a dozen games left in the Korea Baseball Organization season, this may be just the time of year when individual players may seek to accomplish personal milestones. For the Heroes, starter Ha Yeong-min is a win away from reaching double figures for the first time in his 11-year career. The 29-year-old became the full-time starter for the first time this season and the significance of Ha reaching the 10th win is not lost on his manager, Hong Won-ki.
In this file photo from Sept. 6, 2024, Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki watches his team play the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju. (Yonhap)
In this file photo from Sept. 6, 2024, Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki watches his team play the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization
regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju. (Yonhap)
However, Hong said he will not go out of his way to help Ha win a game — putting him in a game with a favorable matchup or leaving him on the mound in a tight game to make sure he would complete five innings.
“We’re playing a team sport. Obviously, it’d be nice for him to get the next win, but I think it’s difficult to force the issue,” Hong said, moments before his team’s game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul was rained out. “We have seen situations where we nearly blew a big lead with him on the mound. And you never know what can happen in close games. So I will not make any compromise.”
Ha is 9-6 with a 4.17 ERA in 26 starts. The manager credited Ha’s consistency with helping the Heroes put up good fights against teams higher up in the standings.
“Even though we’re in last place, we’ve been competitive in a lot of games so far,” Hong said. “And I can confidently say Ha Yeong-min’s p
resence in the rotation has been one of the reasons for that. His primary goal now is to finish the season healthy. If he doesn’t get to 10 wins this year, then it will give him a new goal for next season. I hope he doesn’t get too caught up in the number.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency