Senior Lim Ki-young is a guardian angel for Lee Yi-ri of the KIA Tigers.
KIA avoided a sweep with a 6-0 victory over the Lotte Giants in a resignation game on 4 April. The 1+1 card of Lee Yi-ri and Lim Ki-young worked. Lee threw 104 pitches, allowing two hits, four walks, and eight strikeouts, but he only lasted until the fifth inning. He could have easily gone into the sixth inning, but his pitches were shaky and he had a high pitch count.
Im Ki-young, who took over for Batong, pitched three innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits. There were no walks in the fourth. It was an excellent performance that showed why coach Kim Jong-kook chose to put Lim behind Lee Yi-ri. If Lee goes down quickly, Lim is always there.
Lee has only gone more than six innings once in 11 games this year. On 17 May against the Gwangju Kiwoom, he pitched seven innings with nine strikeouts and one run to earn the win. He’s gone five innings only once, and the rest of the time he’s gone a maximum of five innings and a minimum of one. He was often pulled after the third and fourth innings due to high strikeouts and pitch counts.먹튀검증
The reason for Lee’s early exit is that he has Lim Ki-young behind him. With a wealth of starting experience, a precise delivery and a changeup, he has the ability to go up to three innings. In games where Lee and Lim have pitched together, KIA has won 6-4.
Three of Lee’s five wins this season have come in relief of Im Ki-young. This was made possible by the fact that he was able to come in right behind Lee and break the opposition’s will to chase. On 30 May against KT in Gwangju, he threw five perfect innings to preserve Lee’s victory after Lee was down to 11 strikeouts and one run in five innings.
Im Ki-young not only pitched behind Lee, but also Adonis Medina and Yoon Young-chul, who were struggling to eat up innings. He’s good at battling hitters on the mound and has a good command of his pitches, making him a top-rated reliever. Having a long man who can go multiple innings like this is a huge boost in the long run. In 19 games, he pitched 34⅔ innings with one save, five holds, and a 3.12 ERA.
The 19-year-old rookie Yoon Young-cheol is also a big boost. Yoon’s success in the starting rotation has created a synergistic effect that has allowed Lim to make valuable contributions as a long man. Without him in the bullpen, some wins would have been lost. Lee will have to rely on Lim more often than not.