“I have never regretted my choice.”
Baek Seung-hyeon (28), pitcher for the LG Twins, joined LG in the 2nd and 3rd rounds in 2015. When he joined, he was an infielder. However, it was not easy for him to establish himself as an infielder. Even after resolving the military issue, it was not easy for Baek Seung-hyun to take the position.메이저사이트
Then, in the winter of 2019, he went to Australia with Geelong Korea. He climbed the mound because there were not enough pitchers, but he showed a talent that no one expected by throwing a fastball over 150km. Afterwards, Baek Seung-hyun decided to become a pitcher during the 2020 season. He has shown remarkable growth. After showing good pitching in the Futures League in the 2021 season, he was called up to the 1st team and showed good results with an average ERA of 2.16 in 16 matches and 1 hold in the 1st team.
Baek Seung-hyun is positioned as LG’s new hope. Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan
Is it because of the effect of the right elbow bone fragment removal surgery after the end of the 2021 season? In the 2022 season, he was sluggish with an average ERA of 10.80 in 12 games, 1 loss and 1 hold.
However, this season, LG coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop has been receiving a lot of trust. He is fighting well this season with an average ERA of 2.08, 1 hold and 1 save in 9 games. Recently, director Yeom Gyeong-yeop praised, “Park Myeong-geun, Yoo Young-chan, Ham Deok-joo, and Baek Seung-hyun have endured well in the absence of Seungri.”
And on the 14th, the Samsung exhibition in Jamsil. Another chance came to Baek Seung-hyun. In the top of the 9th inning, when the team was leading 3-2, he took the mound following Ham Deok-joo with one out and bases loaded. It was a crisis that could allow a reversal to the opponent as well as a tie if one mismatch or one hit. But Baek Seung-hyun did it. He struck out Kang Min-ho and turned Kim Dong-yeop into a shortstop straight hit. It was the moment when he made his first save in his debut.
Baek Seung-hyun said, “It feels good just to be of help to the team. Rather than being nervous, he thought that he had to go up unconditionally and stop it.” He added, “I thought I would like to save at least once, but it’s good to do it.”
He looked back at the moment he turned pitcher.
He said, “When he returned to Geelong Korea and played as a fielder in the first half of the 2020 season, he thought he was lacking a lot. He was the last challenge, he made a choice. He was thinking of doing something. He wanted to take on a new challenge even if he was in the second team. He laughed, saying, “Didn’t the club respect my choice because there was an image he showed in Geelong?”
He said, “I was very sorry when I went down sick at the beginning of the season. However, that opportunity made me think more that I should never get sick,” he said. “I think the reason I was bad last season was not the aftermath of surgery, but my lack of preparation. So I tried to increase the amount of exercise during the off-season. The training part and the pitching coach helped me a lot, so I came this far.”
What would you like to see in the future?
There are quite a few players who turned into pitchers and opened an era of success. Representatively, Kyun-an Na. This season, he went beyond the ace of the Lotte Giants and was promoted to the national team. However, there is another pitcher Baek Seung-hyun sees and learns from. It is LG finisher Ko Woo-seok.
Baek Seung-hyun said, “There are many good pitchers in our country. Wooseok has accumulated a lot of experience since he was young. He thinks he throws the best ball. He hangs around and asks a lot of questions. I tend to ask a lot of questions to (Lim) Chan-gyu.”
“Except for this season, Wooseok has never been sick. He continued to watch how he exercised and how he took care of his body. He tries to ask often,” he added.
Do you have any goals as a pitcher?
He said, “I have nothing to say other than thank you for being so kind to the director. I’m not a player with a career, and I’m not a player with good skills… . I want to show good results when I go out to the stadium,” he said. “I didn’t set a big goal. It doesn’t hurt, and I want to go on the mound and throw at least one more ball under any circumstances. As I started late, I want to go out to the baseball field a lot and digest the game.”