Afterwards, Yang Hyun-jong said, "The more I thought about it after the season, the more I felt sorry for the game."

Last year, when Yang just gave up the chance to win a shutout, there was no shutout in the KBO League. He pitched a complete game twice. Samsung's David Buchanan and SSG's Oh Won-seok did so. Oh's complete game was worth seven innings (strong and cold). It was a season when no Korean pitcher threw a complete nine-inning game.

A complete victory came in a month after the opening of this year. Yang Hyun-jong, a domestic pitcher and KBO ace, did it.

Yang threw 101 pitches in nine innings and allowed eight hits, one walk, six strikeouts and one run in a complete game against KT in Gwangju on the 1st. It was the first complete game in the KBO league this season and the first complete game in two years by a Korean pitcher in nine innings.

Yang said, "I wanted to do it at least once. I had a chance to shut out last year as well, but it broke off, which hurt my pride a lot. It was regrettable that not only I but also Korean pitchers heard many bad stories as no complete pitcher came out last year. It's early in the season, but I'm happy to be able to throw complete games and I think more complete pitchers will come out."

Yang pitched a complete game in five years. It is the first time since he pitched a shutout with no outs against Lotte in Sajik on Sept. 11, 2019. Until then, Yang had pitched 13 complete games in 10 years, and won eight of them. Of the eight complete games, four were shutouts. The complete pitching in the second game of the 2017 Korean Series, which led to the first 1-0 shutout in the Korean Series, is a symbol of Yang's heyday. He was a pitcher who managed to stably perform through eight to nine innings by shouting at batters with fastballs and throwing sliders and changeups depending on left and right batters.

For the next four years, there was a gap in complete pitching. He is the only player in the history of the league who throws more than 170 innings every day for nine consecutive years, but there are games in which he throws more than 170 innings in a row, and there are games in which he throws fewer than five to six innings. At the age of mid-30s, attention was often focused. This also explains why he had to take the mound in the eighth inning just before he could win a shutout last season.

After five years, however, Yang again completed a complete game. Now, Yang's ball is not as fast and strong as it was five years ago. However, he displayed his strength and pride as an ace who is still alive by throwing his first complete game in a month after the opening with seasoned pitching with experience and in both foreign pitchers.

"Always around me and within the team, I tell them that they need to take care of their bodies now that they are a little old and have poor ball power, but I think they have broken that prejudice a little (with complete pitching). I am still confident in my ball. I think today's game has a lot of meanings because I am confident in fighting against my opponent," Yang said.

Kia had a fierce bullpen session last week. Yang's complete pitching on the day was a huge contribution to the KIA mound. We don't know when it will be, but we promise to throw a complete game again.

Yang Hyun-jong said, "It's natural to believe in the middle pitcher in a tight game, but in a game like this, I think we should be greedy in a situation where we don't have too much pressure on the team's performance. If there is another opportunity like this in the future and the team is free, I want to throw many innings again. This is because we have to accumulate little by little to throw 170 innings, the final goal, so that we can achieve such a meaningful record (10 consecutive years) with ease without getting impatient later."

BY: 토토사이트