There are certain teams and certain players who are stronger than their average. Hanwha Eagles infielder Kim In-hwan gets a kick out of facing LG Twins foreign ace Casey Kelly. He’s 3-for-7 with a home run and a walk against Kelly this season. Last season, he was even better: 6-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. The only Hanwha player to hit a home run against Kelly.
Baseball people in the field explain that sometimes a particular hitter’s swing trajectory aligns well with a particular pitcher’s pitch timing. It’s a combination of skill and luck. When it goes well, it’s likely to build confidence and lead to better results.
Hanwha veteran right-hander Jang Min-jae (33). Weak against the Kiwoom Heroes and strong against the SSG Landers in the first half. He doesn’t have a rich record, but he’s certainly got one.
On 31 May, Jang gave up 10 runs (9 earned) in 5 innings against the Heroes. He walked the first and second batters and gave up five runs in the third inning. He gave up a grand slam to Lee Jung-hoo. Faced a 1-5 deficit in the fifth inning and gave up five runs. Most runs in a single game this season. It was a nightmare.
Last year was no better, with two losses in three appearances and a 7.30 ERA. Of the eight teams he faced, the Heroes were the weakest.
On the other hand, he pitched well against SSG. On 7 April, he made his first start of the season against SSG and gave up one run in five innings. Other than giving up a one-run home run to foreigner Guillermo Heredia in the second inning, he kept the game close. After giving up one run, he pitched a scoreless third through the fifth inning. In his second start on 12 May, he allowed one run (unearned) in 5⅔ innings to earn the win. SSG’s fastball-heavy hitters often struggled against a seasoned fastball pitcher like Jang Min-jae.
2 games, 1 win, 0.87.
Last season, he was 1-0, 6.57 in three starts. Despite his overall underachievement, he had some impressive performances. On 22 April, he started a game and pitched four innings of one-hit ball.
After starting the season as a starter, Jang Min-jae struggled in May due to poor command of his pitches. Moving down to the Future Team, Jae
I returned to the first team after the overhaul.
Pitched 16 innings in three secondary league games. He had one win and a 0.56 ERA. On the 12th, he pitched seven scoreless innings against the Doosan Bears. His second-team appearances became meaningless.
Jang was scheduled to start against the NC Dinos on the 23rd, but it was cancelled due to rain. He will skip a three-game midweek series against the Heroes on 25-27 and return to the mound against SSG on 29. It will be his first first-team start in 48 days since 11 June against LG Electronics.먹튀검증
Coach Choi Won-ho said on the 23rd, “Jang Min-jae was very bad for the Heroes, so we pushed his start back in consideration of that.” He’s more likely to pitch well in a game where he can throw with confidence. There is no reason to insist on pitching mechanically on a set schedule.
Han Seung-hyuk, Moon Dong-joo, and Ricardo Sanchez will start side-by-side against the Heroes on the 25th and 27th. Jang Min-jae will be in the bullpen for the 25th game.
Hanwha started the second half with two straight losses. The six-game series against the Heroes and SSG are crucial. If they fall behind early in the second half, they could lose the momentum they’ve been building.