A reliable pitcher just by his presence has returned to the bullpen. If they can repeat their performance this season in the final match, the road to victory will be one step closer. LG middle pitcher Ham Deok-ju (28) easily played his first game in 64 days.
Ham Deok-ju took the mound in the top of the 8th inning, the last inning for the home team, in the Blue and White match held at Jamsil Stadium on the 29th. He caught Ahn Ik-hoon with a pitcher’s ground ball and Kim Beom-seok with a fly to right field, quickly increasing the count to two outs. Moon Bo-kyung made an error on Lee Jae-won’s batted ball and allowed Son Ho-young to walk, but he struck out Song Chan-eui with a change-up and ended the day’s pitching. The number of pitches was 15.
Ham Deok-ju, who made his first actual appearance on the mound in 64 days since the game against Changwon NC on August 26, plans to pitch in two more games before the Korean Series (KS). The following is a Q&A between Ham Deok-ju and the reporters.
-It was my first actual battle in two months. How was it overall?
First of all, I was extremely nervous. It felt like the opening game. I prepared a lot for that. I am satisfied as the overall content of the pitch is good. His speed and control weren’t perfect, but they were better than I thought. There’s still more than a week left and there’s more to come. I think there is enough preparation time.
-How many more throws before KS?
I think I’ll throw about two games. I think the next game will probably be better than today.
-Originally, I was planning to return at the end of the regular season, but the timing was postponed to KS. Now that I have more time to recover, how do you think this will work?
It doesn’t hurt at the end of the regular season. And I wanted to show that I could do KS without any problems. So, I was in a bit of a hurry to get up there, but I am grateful to the director, coach, and training coach for allowing me to prepare at my leisure. I think we’ll get better results.
-Among my colleagues, there are not many people with KS winning experience. If you look at the bullpen, there are only Ham Deok-ju and Kim Jin-seong. I think the club will also view this winning experience as important internally.
It feels really good when you win. I think winning KS is as difficult as it is gratifying. However, in addition to Jinseong and me, our team also has pitchers who have won international competitions and has many players with a lot of experience overall. I think you just need to think about how good it would be to win rather than experience. My colleagues even asked me how many times I went to KS and how many times I won, so all the players on our team are hoping to win. I think everyone will pitch better in KS than usual. I will also prepare to deliver the best performance.
-As an experienced KS player and a mid-level pitcher, what parts are important in KS?
Personally, I think long shots should be avoided as much as possible. Since the driven ball is dangerous, sometimes you need to be prepared for a walk and take a corner walk. A walk may be better than a home run. Walks are not a good thing, but you need to pitch in a way that induces swings and misses while making the game difficult, and I think I have pitched like that in the past. Basically, because our pitchers are so good at pitching, I think we will be able to play the game well with minimal runs conceded.
-Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop considers the role of the pitcher following the starting pitcher, that is, the first bullpen pitcher, to be important. During the regular season, Ham Deok-ju took on that role. He could also be the first bullpen pitcher in KS. What do you think about this?
When he went out as a second pitcher, he would go out according to the opponent’s strong batting order. He used to go out in situations where he shouldn’t have passed the flow, and I also saw the director’s words in the article. He felt a stronger sense of responsibility and thought that as much as he believed in me, I should get a good start in the bullpen. I pitched thinking that I had to catch the lead hitter at all costs. If he goes out as a second pitcher in KS, things will go similarly. I will try to catch the lead hitter and throw with as much confidence as possible. It is important for KS to pitch well no matter how many innings.안전놀이터
-I stayed in Icheon and moved to Jamsil today. Did you feel different when you came to Jamsil?
I was nervous and nervous. I was a little nervous when I threw in Icheon, but it was different when I came to Jamsil. During the game, cheering songs were played through the amplifier, so even though there were no spectators, I was able to concentrate well. I have a strong feeling that a big competition is ahead.
-When we held the regular season victory ceremony in Busan, our teammates brought uniforms. How did you feel when you saw that?
I never thought they would give me a uniform. I saw it through articles and while watching baseball broadcasts, and I was really grateful. I was very thankful that they contacted me even when I was in the 2nd team. Afterwards, during the home ceremony, I was there with them because they allowed me to exercise in Jamsil. I have gained a lot of responsibility, and now I have a determination to do everything in line with KS.