“I wondered if I could get the nomination so soon.”
Pitcher Lee Sang-gyu (27), who became a new member of Hanwha, was surprised to hear the result of the second draft of the KBO on Nov. 22 last year. The Hanwha Eagles selected LG right-hander Lee Sang-gyu as the second choice in the first round. In the second draft, the transfer money of the first round is 400 million won, which is not a small amount. Hanwha invested a lot of money and took Lee Sang-gyu.
“When I first heard about the nomination, I thought, ‘Am I second place?'” Lee Sang-gyu recalled. “I thought, ‘Am I right to be nominated so soon?’. I was puzzled and surprised. I don’t know if the LG coaches and coaches helped me.”
After the second draft was drafted, Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said, “If ABS (automatic ball determination system) is deployed, pitchers with good ball speed or ball movement will have an advantage. It would be even better if there is even a breaking ball that drops into a bell. Lee said, “I can throw in the mid-140km range, and I like my ball movement. I throw sliders, but I also have fork balls,” adding, “I think he is a pitcher who can handle under the system of robot umpires.
Lee Sang-kyu, a former high school student at Cheongwon High School who was nominated to LG as the 70th overall pick in the second round of the seventh round in 2015, recorded a total of 44 games (45 innings) with two wins, three losses, four saves and one hold with 6.20 strikeouts in four seasons since his debut in the first division in 2019. Although the results are not noticeable, he was recognized for his pitching power to the extent that he took charge of temporary finishing touches at LG when Ko Woo-suk was sidelined due to a knee injury in the early 2020 season. He was shot up to 153 kilometers on the speed gun. 라바카지노
Lee Sang-gyu, who left a strong impression with two wins, four saves and one hold with an ERA of 1.46 in 12 ⅓ during the month of May 2020, left the closing position due to difficulties in ball control since June, and spent more time in the second division than in the first division. He pitched well with an ERA of 1.75 in 27 games (25 ⅔ innings) in the Futures League, but pitched in only eight games (seven ⅔ innings) in the first division. For the last three consecutive years, LG, which has good pitching power as the team’s No. 1 ERA, did not have many opportunities.
“It has not been established for me, and I have tried many things. I tried to find a good way, but I went the wrong way. I was stubborn and I tried to be too perfect,” Lee said. “I think it’s almost established now. Last year, I threw a lot of two-seam balls to make the tip of my cheeks look dirty. I studied location a lot while watching videos. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also said that he needed to know how to throw folk balls to get an opportunity and survive, so I practiced it.” Since last year, he has made changes by saving ball movements and installing folk balls, but Hanwha paid attention to this and brought in Lee Sang-kyu.