“Right now, I want to play baseball while looking for romance. That is the baseball I want to play.”
Lee Byung-hun, the left-handed bullpen of Doosan, who I met ahead of the Gocheok Kiwoom match on the 18th was full of energy. Even during the two-day fight on the 16th and 17th, he smiled and said, “I was in good condition when I woke up.” However, the Doosan coaching staff gave Lee Byung-hun a break that day. Lee Byung-hun explained, “I wanted to wait, but last week I played in 4 games, so he told me to take a break now, so I’m taking a break.”
Lee Byung-hun has been nominated for the first round of the 2022 Doosan as a high-class hopeful who has sown 151km fastball since his days at Seoul High School. After his joining Doosan, he underwent elbow surgery and debuted in the first team in September of last year, and is recording an average ERA of 3.27 with 5 holds in 18 games this year, his second year. He used to go out mainly as a one-point relief, but now he has a sense of stability enough to fully take responsibility for one inning.
Lee Byung-hun’s true value was evident in this Kiwoom match. He blocked one scoreless inning in each of the two games, and Lee Jung-hoo, the leading hitter of Kiwoom, who reached the peak of his sense of hitting, also caught the opponent with a beom-ta for two days in a row. When asked about the secret to catching Lee Jung-hoo, he replied, “It’s the result of trusting the beasts.” Then he laughed, saying, “I was lucky to a certain extent.”
Lee Byung-hun showed strong trust in the hostesses, saying, “All the catchers on our team are trustworthy. It’s nice to be able to throw comfortably no matter who comes in.” In particular, Yang Eui-ji feels like a ‘god’. He said, “There is no bad result if you throw with trust in Senior Eui-ji. Occasionally, I got a hit when I couldn’t throw it exactly as the sign said, but if I put it well in the desired location, I can handle it all with a fly, a ground ball, or a foul.”
Of course, Lee Byung-hun also has bitter moments. On the 14th in the game against KIA in Jamsil, Choi Hyung-woo hit 3 points in a tie in the 7th inning. Lee Byung-hun, who picked this scene as the most memorable moment of the season, said, “At the time, I was very angry with myself. After that incident, I thought I should throw harder, and I am pitching with all my might in every game.”
In order not to face another dizzying moment, more than anything else, you need to catch the ball. Always having problems with pitching, he contributed 7 walks in 11 innings this season as well. In response, Lee Byung-hun said, “If one ball is completely missing, the next ball is thrown in the opposite way, so we are balancing it.”
He’s also been honing his changeup lately. He said, “I’m still lacking a lot, but rather than not using it saying no, I’m throwing it while using it even to show it in an advantageous count.”
Is it because I am full of desire? Not too long ago, she even made me laugh with an unintentional body gag in the bullpen. While playing catch against the wall alone, a relay camera captured the scene where he was hit in the head by a ball that bounced and collapsed. For this, Lee Byung-hun still seemed to be teased by his teammates. A colleague passing by the interview site even asked for confidence, saying, “Please write about it.” In response, Lee Byung-hun cheerfully replied, “Can you catch that (on camera) in less than 10 seconds?”
Lee Byung-hun,메이저놀이터 who soon returned to his serious image, emphasized, “My role now is to go out in a situation where I can go out and create a good flow.” Regarding being listed on the preliminary list for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in September this year, “(I) am satisfied with being on the preliminary list. Now, I want to quietly focus on my work and play romantic baseball, in other words, throw my best in every game without being obsessed with records.”