National batsman’s faith, Fire bowler from Yukseong will be reborn as Doosan’s constant
“Guwi? I have no doubt”
Choi Ji-gang of the Doosan Bears played the role of the No. 1 contributor to protecting the team’s victory along with the hold harvest, recording 29 pitches and two strikeouts in two innings in the team’s first away match of the season against the Lotte Giants of the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 5th.
Doosan, which had been mired in a four-game losing streak, had a tight confrontation with Lotte until the beginning and middle of the game on the 5th. Then, Kang Seung-ho regained the lead with a timely hit to regain the lead in the top of the seventh inning when the leadoff hitter Huh Kyung-min walked and Kim Jae-hwan hit a hit, and started the bullpen in earnest from the bottom of the seventh inning. It was Choi Ji-gang who took the mound first when Park Chi-guk could not take the mound.
Choi started the inning by cooking the first batter, Roh Jin-hyuk, with a grounder to the pitcher. Afterwards, he struck out Park with a 134-km slider and tied Yoon Dong-hee with a grounder to the shortstop, recording three outs. Based on this trend, Choi also appeared in the eighth inning. Choi quickly accumulated an out count by catching the first batter, Jung Hoon, with a grounder to the shortstop, and follow-up batter, Victor Reyes, with a grounder to the second base. Afterwards, he recorded a hit ball by Jeon Joon-woo, but struck out the follow-up batter, Son Ho-young, and marked two scoreless innings, and Doosan succeeded in recovering from its four-game losing streak by maintaining this atmosphere until the end of the game.
“Choi Ji-gang, who took the mound after the game, was responsible for two innings even when he was in a tight spot, and did not give up the flow to the opponent team,” coach Lee Seung-yeop said after the game ended. “I’m glad that I contributed to the team’s successive losing streak. I was able to win the game quickly on the mound. The ball that fits my body is coming out because I often use force against right-handed hitters. I will supplement it so that I can relax and focus more on pitching. He advised us to increase utilization in the power analysis part because the pitching depth is appropriate for the arm angle, but this has resulted in good results,” Choi said with a smile.
The coach continued to praise Choi on Saturday, one day after the game. “We were in a cautious situation because Park Chi-guk fought in a row. So for now, I thought to block Choi Ji-gang. Yesterday’s first game was more important than today’s game on Saturday. Fortunately, I didn’t pitch much, and I looked in good condition, so I entrusted one more inning, and I did my part very well,” coach Lee Seung-yeop said.
Choi Ji-gang was named by Doosan as a rookie draft player in 2022. In his first season since his debut, he was sluggish with an ERA of 21.60 in two games, but he showed his potential by pitching in 25 games last year with 2-1 losses and two holds with an ERA of 5.32. In particular, as a pitcher who threw fast balls over 150 kilometers, his growth potential was endless, and he also received an opportunity to take the mound in a special match with the Softbank Hawks in March this year. He is also exploding his potential early in this year’s season.
Doosan currently has three pitchers — Kim Myung-shin, Kim Taek-yeon, and Hong Geon-hee — who will be called to the primary team one after another, and their return will likely give them breathing room in the management of the bullpen. There may be changes when key players return, but Choi Ji-gang is showing good performance with a three-hold ERA of 1.00 in eight games, so he plans to continue using the “pil Seung-jo” for the time being. “Kim Myung-shin, Kim Taek-yeon, and Hong Geon-hee will return. I don’t know how they will set up when they come. However, under the current circumstances, Park Chi-guk and Choi Ji-gang will take charge of the seventh to eighth innings.”
Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “I don’t know what would have happened without Ji-gang yesterday on the 5th. Ji-gang played the most important role. In fact, I believed that much that I used Ji-gang for two innings even though there were pitchers who could throw. And I paid him back,” adding, “He has improved a lot compared to last year.” Ji-gang is also a player who throws fast balls and moves very well. There are cases where he was bad because he couldn’t throw strikes, but there are not many cases where he was bad because he was hit hard. I have no doubt at all in terms of ball power.” 토토사이트 추천
Finally, the head coach said, “Now I feel confident in my ball. If I had the location, I would have gained confidence that it would be difficult for any batter to target. Now I feel like I am playing a real professional baseball. He is a very diligent and hardworking pitcher. I also like his personality,” expressing high expectations for his performance in the future.