“I just like it.”
Lee Young-ha (26, Doosan Bears) has the adjective of ’17-win ace’. Joining Doosan with the first pick in the 2016 rookie draft, he became a pitcher with 10 wins in 2018 and won 17 wins (4 losses) in 2019.
He was expected to play an active role as a right-handed ace pitcher representing the KBO League, but after that he showed a somewhat stagnant appearance. To make matters worse, he even overlapped with the ‘class violence controversy’ during his high school days. After being classified as an “uncontract pending player” in 2023, he was acquitted on May 31 and was finally able to play the season properly.
He has been steadily building his body, and he added strength to the team as a bullpen agent, not a starter. He did not improve his physical condition normally because he did not go to spring camp, but he began to show his former appearance little by little while digesting multi-innings.
In the game against Samsung in Pohang on the 5th, in the bottom of the 5th inning with a lead of 6-2, starting pitcher Kim Dong-joo was put in when he was shaken by a walk and a hit after a run.
Lee Young-ha ended the inning by catching both Kim Dong-jin and Jose Pirella with fly balls. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Lee Young-ha also came on the mound and gave Kang Min-ho and Oh Jae-il consecutive walks, but Lee Jae-hyun struck out. Afterwards, he handed over the mound to Kim Myung-shin, who struck out the next two batters with a fly ball. Lee Young-ha finished the game without conceding a goal.
Doosan won 7-4. The winning pitcher was Lee Young-ha. Lee Young-ha added one victory in 379 days after the Incheon SSG match on June 21, 2022.메이저사이트
Victory after many twists and turns. Lee Young-ha thought of his junior Kim Dong-ju first. Lee Young-ha said, “(Kim) Dong-joo became a winning pitcher thanks to his good throw. In fact, it seems that he took away the victory of his junior. I think he gave me a good gift.”
He also had difficulties when he came up to the first team without building up his body properly. He said, “I knew that my body wasn’t 100% when I first came back. Even so, I wanted to play baseball so much that I thought I would overcome it with my mental strength, but it didn’t feel like it.”
In the end, acknowledging reality was the path to quick recovery. Lee Young-ha explained, “I was shaking even though I was doing well in the middle, so I talked a lot with the coaches, and I acknowledged what I should admit. My body is not 100%, so I threw after a break, so I think my balance has improved.”
The first group stage that was difficult to stand on. Lee Young-ha is enjoying the moment right now. Lee Young-ha said, “I like playing baseball right now. I’m not lying, I’m happy when I come to the baseball field. I really like being able to play.