SSG Landers, who won the combined championship last year without a player winning the individual title, is running first this season with two-hit aces who have been ranked first in the batting average and save category.
As of the 15th, three SSG players are ranked first in batting average, saves, and holds among 14 KBO award records (8 batters, 6 pitchers). 1 foreign hitter Guillermo Heredia (34 games, 0.369), finishing pitcher Seo Jin-yong (19 games, 16 saves), overwhelmingly 1st in saves, and Noh Kyung-eun (19 games, 9 holds) tied for first place in holds.
Jin-Yong Seo and Kyung-Eun Noh are proving that the SSG bullpen, which was regarded as a relative weakness compared to the powerful starting lineup, is no longer undervalued. The SSG bullpen, led by these two, Koh Hyo-jun, Choi Min-jun, and Baek Seung-geon, has a new structure, recording an ERA of 2.18, the lowest among the 10 clubs.
Seo Jin-yong has been reborn as one of the best finishing pitchers not only in SSG but also in the league. He has not committed a single blown save in 16 save opportunities this season. Last year, he recorded the most saves in a season with 21 saves, but the pace this season is much steeper. As it is now, it is possible to save 64 with simple calculations. Officials at the site predict, “It will not be easy to catch up as there is already a two-fold gap (with the second place) in less than two months since the opening.”먹튀검증
Heredia’s performance is also encouraging. SSG was unable to find a solid foreign hitter, such as replacing it during the season last year, but this season, Heredia already received a passing grade before even digesting all 100 at-bats, one of SSG coach Kim Won-hyung’s criteria. Even when heavy hitters such as Hanyu Island and Jeon Eui-san went through ups and downs, they relieved coach Kim’s worries by playing the role of the fourth hitter.
After winning the Korean Series last year, the owner, Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Jeong Yong-jin, said, “We are a team that has not won a single winner out of 14 individual awards in the regular season, but we are number one in mobilizing home crowd.” It’s a trend worth looking forward to.