Will Kia Tigers closer Jung Hae-young (24) be able to protect the throne of "save king"? No one in the KBO league has succeeded for the past 10 years.카지노

The recent "save war" in the KBO League is an era of war in spring and autumn. The "continuous relief king" cannot be found as far back as 2014. In 2013 and 2014, Son Seung-rak (current KIA coach, then Nexen) ranked No. 1 in saves. Since then, his position as the "save king" has changed every year until 2024. Not only during this period, but also there is no first place in the second inning. All 10 players are new faces.

Lim Chang-yong (retired, then Samsung), 2016 Kim Se-hyun (retired, then Nexen), 2017 Son Seung-rak (current Hanwha coach), 2018 Jung Woo-ram (currently Hanwha coach), 2019 Ha Jae-hoon (SSG), 2020 Sang-woo (currently Nexen), 2021 Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung), 2022 Go Woo-seok (currently Miami Marlins, then LG) 2023 Seo Jin-yong (SSG) was the save king.

Last year, Jung emerged as the best closing pitcher in the league. During the 2024 season, Jung recorded two wins, three losses and 31 saves in 50 ⅔ innings, with an ERA of 2.49. Jung has made 121 saves over the past four seasons. He also has a very low ERA of 2.81. Since his debut in 2020, he has played 60 innings (65 ⅓ innings in 2021) only once. He was also well managed. He achieved his prime time by playing continuously from an early age.

Given previous records, however, it is premature to feel relieved. Ko, who ranked No. 1 in relief with 42 saves in 2022, has slowed down to 15 saves in 2023. Seo Jin-yong also ranked first with 42 saves in 2023, but retired from the final position in 2024.

There are many strong competitors who will challenge Jung Hae-young this year.

Attention is focusing on Oh Seung-hwan (43, Samsung), who finished second in saves last season. Oh seems to have shown off his strong performance by making 27 saves, but his ERA was as high as 4.91. He was sluggish in the last minute and was excluded from the Korean Series entry. Oh Seung-hwan, who has 427 saves in his career in the KBO league, is expected to recover his fame.

We are also curious about the second year of rookie award Kim Taek-yeon of Doosan Bears. As a high school rookie in 2024, Kim opened a new chapter in the league. He played heavy fastballs reminiscent of Oh Seung-hwan, earning 19 saves. There are concerns about his jinx in the second year, but there are also hopes that he will grow further after adapting himself to the professional league.

LG's new closing pitcher Jang Hyun-sik is also a dark horse. Jang was a setup man for Jeong Hae-young while wearing the KIA team uniform last year. He signed an FA contract worth 5.2 billion won (approx. LG has selected Jang as its new closing pitcher as closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan, who recorded 26 saves, is on the operating table. Jang has seven saves in total.

Lotte Giants' Kim Won-joong has also maintained the top position in saves. Kim Won-joong made double-digit saves for the fifth consecutive year and accumulated 132 saves. KT's Park Young-hyun became a national relief pitcher at once, posting 32 holds in 2023 and 25 saves in 2024.