“I hope Gwanghyun doesn’t think that his pride is hurt.”
SSG Landers veteran native ace Kim Gwang-hyeon (36) is not doing well this season. He has 3 wins, 3 losses, and an average ERA of 5.13 in 9 games this season. It is worth bringing up the topic of 'time' in that he has only had four quality starts and has never had an ERA above 5 points in a season throughout his career.
However, coach Lee Soong-yong said that Kim Gwang-hyun is still “competitive” ahead of the Gwangju KIA Tigers game on the 10th. On the 9th, against LG in Jamsil, he was the losing pitcher after allowing 3 hits, 6 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 3 runs in 6 ⅓ innings, but he showed a satisfied expression on the inside.
Coach Lee Soong-yong said, “It was disappointing to lose that game. Still, it seems like Gwanghyeon has found his confidence. I look forward to good performances in the future. He was thinking of pushing Gwanghyeon. He said he would add more, so he pushed ahead. As for the outcome, it was my choice. “It is right to respect Gwanghyeon.”
In fact, SSG's defense in the bottom of the 7th inning that day was not very smooth. In the end, he was shaken by giving up consecutive walks, but considering the game as a whole, it was judged to be encouraging. I thought that increasing my breaking ball rate compared to usual was beneficial.
Basically, after Kim Gwang-hyun returned from his major league career in 2022, he used breaking balls more frequently than fastballs. However, this season, the usage rates of four-seamer and main weapon slider are almost the same. According to the baseball statistics website Stats, 38% are four-seamers and 37.6% are sliders.