KIA's 3-Game Winning Streak Rebound!... Bullpen Stabilized with 'Han Jae-seung Card'

[Busan = Jeon Sang-il Reporter] The unstable mound is finding its place. Above all, the bullpen, which was synonymous with despair, is getting back on track. That is the biggest effect. In any case, it means that KIA's ambitious gamble is paying off.
KIA achieved a complete 2-0 victory in the away game against Lotte Giants held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 5th, extending their winning streak to 3 games. The game content was literally simple. Starting pitcher James Nail held on with 6 innings of scoreless pitching, and the bullpen consisting of Seong Young-tak, Han Jae-seung, and Jeon Sang-hyeon perfectly locked the back door. Considering the nightmare of the previous 7-game losing streak, the change in the mound is a surprising turnaround. And this is exactly the kind of clean game content that KIA manager Lee Beom-ho most desired.
The turning point was a single trade. On the 28th of last month, KIA executed a 6-player trade with NC, acquiring pitcher Kim Si-hoon, Han Jae-seung, and infielder Jeong Hyeon-chang. Among them, the person who led the actual change in the bullpen was Han Jae-seung.

Before the trade, KIA's bullpen was collapsing. Jo Sang-woo's July ERA was at a serious level of 14.21, and Jeong Hae-young's July ERA was 6.23. Only Jeon Sang-hyeon was barely holding up the mound. It is not an exaggeration to say it was a collapse. There was no reliable card at all. The team's bullpen ERA was ranked at the bottom of the league.
Ultimately, KIA, which was eyeing the lead fight, plummeted to 7th place. Ace Nail had 4 QS in 5 games since June 15, but due to the bullpen's poor performance, he couldn't secure even a single win.
However, KIA changed after the trade. In the recent 2 games during their 3-game winning streak, the bullpen did not allow a single run. Even when expanded to 4 games with 3 wins and 1 draw, the bullpen allowed only 2 runs. Meanwhile, Han Jae-seung emerged as the core of KIA's mound, recording 1 win, 1 save, and 1 hold with an ERA of 2.45 in 3 games after the transfer.
The game on the 5th was not easy. In the 8th inning of the Lotte game on the 5th, when they had to protect a 2-run lead, Jeong Hae-young was urgently called in due to elbow muscle tightness, and Jeon Sang-hyeon took over the 9th inning, while Han Jae-seung pitched the most crucial inning, blocking 1 inning without allowing a run. He secured the win, hold, and save, quickly becoming a key figure in KIA's bullpen.
KIA focused on his pitching power. Although Kim Si-hoon's first-team record was more impressive at the time of the trade, KIA valued Han Jae-seung's future potential and immediate usability more highly. The result was accurate.

Manager Lee Beom-ho said, "Nail, as the team's ace pitcher, overcame the crisis well and blocked 6 innings without allowing a run, and the subsequent pitchers all did their part. The growth of young pitchers like Seong Young-tak and Han Jae-seung is encouraging," expressing his satisfaction.
A trade that turned a crisis into an opportunity, and Han Jae-seung who proved it with results. The bullpen is no longer unstable. KIA's hopes for autumn baseball are stirring again.

jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter