Third-year left-handed pitcher Choi Seung-yong (22) has emerged as the new calling card of the Doosan bullpen.

Choi came on as the final pitcher in the 12th inning of a 4-1 extra-inning win over Hanwha in Daejeon on April 2, striking out Ha Ju-seok and Lee Do-yoon for a triple play to earn his first career save. His fastball was up to 147 kilometers and his curveball with a big drop was powerful.

Choi Seung-yong, who started as Doosan’s No. 4 starter this season, hasn’t lived up to expectations. In 12 starts, he went 2-5 with a 5.76 ERA. Eventually, he was switched to the relief role on June 28 against the Jamsil NC.

Since then, he has stabilized. In 10 games (11 innings), he has a 2.45 ERA, allowing just eight hits and two walks while striking out eight. Choi’s performance as a reliever is encouraging given the lack of left-handed bullpen depth.메이저놀이터

Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said of Choi before the game against Hanwha on Wednesday, “It’s great to see him perform like he is now. I don’t know if he has the desire to start, but from what we’ve seen, he’s definitely focused on throwing short to medium pitches, and his command looks good. It will be a big help if he can pitch well in important save situations like yesterday and when the team is in trouble.”

“It depends on the hitter, but lefties are definitely stronger against righties. Left-handed pitchers are less likely to allow long balls to lefties than right-handed pitchers, so it’s good to see (Choi’s performance) in that regard.” “Choi has a good delivery and a slow curveball that allows him to control the pitch. He’s not a pitcher who’s going to give up a lot of hits if he just throws his stuff. In the beginning of the season, when he started, he would break down, but in the case of yesterday, he went in confidently and finished the game in three batters.”

In the previous game, the bullpen of Kim Myung-shin (2 innings), Jung Chul-won (2 innings), Hong Gun-hee (1⅓ innings), and Park Chi-guk (⅔ innings) combined for a scoreless inning before Choi Seung-yong, setting the stage for a 4-1 win. Lee said, “The bullpen managed the pitch count well and the connection was smooth. Jung Chul-won, Kim Myung-shin, and Hong Gun-hee did a good job of getting at least three outs.”

Meanwhile, Doosan fielded a starting lineup of Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jose Rojas (right fielder), Yang Yang-ji (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (left fielder), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), Jang Seung-hyun (catcher), and Park Kye-beom (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Raul Alcantara. Jang Seung-hyun wore the catcher’s mask as Yang Ji-won was the designated hitter.