In particular, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles, who drew attention from everyone from the opening game, took an unrealistic number. With an 8.36 ERA, Ryu has posted a record that has not been seen in both the KBO league and the Major League in the past. He ranks 24th in ERA among 26 pitchers who played the stipulated number of innings.
Ko Young-pyo, who can be evaluated as the best native starter in the KBO League over the past three years, also has an 8.10 ERA. Yang Hyun-jong also has a 4.32 ERA, which is less than his 3.82 career. Kim Kwang-hyun played with two wins and an ERA of 2.63, but was replaced early due to back pain during the game on the 4th. Although he was not excluded from the entry, he was not on the list due to lack of innings prescribed.
Not all foreign pitchers are good at this, either. SSG Robert Duggar allowed 14 runs, the most in a game against Changwon NC on Tuesday. His earned run average (ERA) soared to 12.86. KT Wes Benjamin also has a 10.29 ERA. Benjamin, a third-year KBO league player, has only a 3.23 ERA over the past two years.
In short, the mound collapse. Pitchers that I trusted repeatedly collapsed one after another, playing baseball games that I cannot calculate. The manager has yet to perform even 10 percent of the entire schedule, and his heart is burning. He called for an early rush but can’t seem to calculate.
“We didn’t just end up with the result,” KT manager Lee Kang-chul said. “The opening day was about a week earlier than usual. Pitchers didn’t have much time to prepare,” he added. “We have no choice but to restructure the mound after the season. The ball seems to have some influence. It is unusual that the ball flies from the exhibition game. Even batters get surprised after hitting.”
Some managers use the Automatic Ball Strike System (ABS). “This trend is due to ABS, which leads to higher scores,” NC manager Kang In-kwon said. “Pitchers throw high-speed balls conscious of ABS a lot, but this often leads to long balls as it becomes a mistake.” LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also said, “I thought ABS would be good for pitchers, but it is not. Rather, batters are adapting quickly.”
A veteran batter, who asked not to be named, said, “The variable has disappeared due to ABS. It has always been difficult to judge the left and right sides of the strike zone, but now it is somewhat constant. The strategy to target only one side of the body and the other side has become easier than before.”
The ERA in the 2024 season was 4.84, up 0.63 from 4.21 in the last three years. In addition, the number of home runs has increased dramatically. With 65 games played, the number of home runs reached 124. With 68 games played last year, the number of home runs stood at only 78.
Of course, it is too early to make a prediction. The team will play a total of 720 games during the regular season. There are 655 more games left. Some are concerned about pitchers’ counterattack. “I feel like I am holding exhibition games in April, too. After this period of time, pitchers will perform well,” coach Lee Kang-chul predicted. 안전놀이터