There are certain teams and certain players who are stronger than their average. Hanwha Eagles outfielder Kim In-hwan has been on fire when 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 done it.
On May 31, Jang gave up 10 runs (9 earned) in 5 innings against the Heroes. He walked the first and second batters he faced 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 bad, too, with two losses in three starts and a 7.30 ERA. The Heroes were the weakest of the eight teams he faced.
On the other hand, he pitched well against SSG. On April 7, he made his first start of the season against SSG, giving up one run in five innings. Other than giving up a one-run home run to 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 May 12, he allowed one run (unearned) in 5⅔ innings to earn the win. SSG’s fastball-oriented hitters often struggled against a seasoned fastball pitcher like Jang.
2 games, 1 win, 0.87.
Last season, he was 1-0, 6.57 in three starts. While his overall performance was underwhelming, he had some impressive games. On April 22, he started a game and pitched four innings of one-hit ball.
After starting the season as a starter, Jang struggled in May due to poor command of his pitches. He was sent down to the Future Team to rebuild and returned to the first team.
He pitched 16 innings in three secondary league games. He had one win and a 0.56 ERA. On April 12, he pitched seven scoreless innings against the Doosan Bears. His appearance in the second team was meaningless.
Jang was scheduled to start against the NC Dinos on the 23rd, but it was canceled due to rain. He will skip a three-game midweek series against the Heroes on June 25-27 and return to the mound against SSG on June 29. It will be his first start in 48 days since June 11 against the LG Electronics.
On June 23, Choi Won-ho said, “Jang Min-jae was very bad for the Heroes, so we pushed his start back in consideration.” “He’s more likely to pitch well in a game where he can pitch with confidence. There is no reason to mechanically pitch on a set schedule.
Han Seung-hyuk, Moon Dong-joo, and Ricardo Sanchez will start side-by-side against the Heroes on April 25-27. 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 important. If they fall behind early in the second half, they could lose the good momentum they’ve built. 먹튀검증