September 23rd, when SSG was in the midst of a performance decline. Explaining the order of starting rotation in the future, SSG coach Kim Won-hyung said, “We are agonizing over Kim Kwang-hyun (35SSG).” SSG, which had been struggling with the starting pitcher’s problem due to the team’s overall deterioration in performance, has been competing with a de facto four-man starting rotation since mid-September, when the rest of the game schedule began. He was able to use it one day at a time, minimizing the rest days of the best pitchers.
Kim Kwang-hyun, the team’s ace, was no exception. Kim Kwang-hyun, who usually took a five-day break unless he was scheduled to take the mound on Tuesday-Sunday, pitched well against KT on September 12 with one run in six innings, but lost the game. After resting for four days, he took the mound against LG on September 17 (two earned runs in five innings), and took another four days off and went to Lotte on September 22 (three runs in seven innings).
It may not be the first time to carry out such a schedule, but Kim Kwang-hyun is now also a player in his mid-30s. After two consecutive four-day breaks, the mound itself has a lot of physical pressure. This is why head coach Kim began to think about Kim Kwang-hyun’s next schedule to take the mound. However, after the game on the 22nd, Kim Kwang-hyun fired up his determination, saying, “You can go back in after a four-day break.” Director Kim was very grateful to hear that story.
He also emphasized the impact on players. It was a difficult time, but it was interpreted that the ace could make other players’ hearts ring as he burned his fighting spirit like that. Coach Kim said, “Kwanghyun is now in his mid-30s, not in his 20s. Looking at that, I think he has a sense of responsibility even if he doesn’t talk,” he said. “I think (Kim Kwang-hyun) is taking the center stage there, regardless of winning and losing.” There is something other pitchers feel when they see it. Kwanghyun seems to be giving an indirect message (for the team) that “this is how we should go.”
In the end, Kim Kwang-hyun took another four days off and went to the game against Doosan on September 27. In six innings, he pitched five hits and no runs. There was no personal victory, but it was a fighting spirit that touched many people. 스포츠토토
Actually, it’s not as good as it used to be. Kim Kwang-hyun pitched 162 ⅓ innings in 29 games this year until the 14th, recording 8 wins, 8 losses and a 3.66 ERA. This is lower than the average of his KBO league (3.21) as well as last year (2.13) when he returned to the KBO League. In terms of ball power and overwhelmingness, it is hard to say that it certainly gives an impression as good as his heyday. Kim Kwang-hyun also said, “Isn’t 150km still coming out?” drawing a line on doubts about his physical condition, but acknowledging that “the problem is that 140km comes out next,” which is different from the body of people in their 20s.
Considering the schedule of the remaining games, it became difficult to win 10 games. Still, considering that he had a mid-three-run average and 15 quality starts (more than six innings and less than three earned runs), the figure of eight wins is disappointing. This is because he did not receive any scoring support. Except for Ahn Woo-jin, Kim Kwang-hyun has the least scoring support per nine innings this year. On the contrary, even after making quality starts, there were a total of five games that lost, the most in the league, and four times the bullpen won. In many ways, it was a season that didn’t.
However, Kim Kwang-hyun remained silent. Especially when the team was most difficult, they volunteered for the toughest schedule. The results were good, too. Kim Kwang-hyun started in six games since Sept. 12, when his death schedule began, and pitched 35 innings with a 2.31 ERA. Individually, there were more losses (two losses) than wins (one win), but he went down the mound after setting the stage for the team to last. Class is a time to show that it is alive.
Simply considering the team’s performance in the game, Kim Kwang-hyun’s dedication may not be directly related to SSG’s “Schuktober,” which has a remarkable 8 wins and 1 loss in October. However, this period required someone to take the lead and lead his teammates, and Kim Kwang-hyun took the lead as always. Apart from simple performances, Kim Kwang-hyun is still the player who best suits the word “ace” on the mound in Incheon.