After struggling for the past two years, SSG Landers’ Jong-hoon Park (33) is ready to rebound.

Jong-hoon is an underhanded pitcher with a career record of 71-73 with a 4.74 ERA in 230 games (1077 innings) in the KBO. He has become a fan favorite for his unique pitching style, which has a low release point that allows his hands to graze the mound as he pitches. He served as SSG’s main starter for four years from 2017 to 2020, winning 47 games, and signed a non-free agent multi-year contract on December 14, 2021 for a total of 6.5 billion won over five years.

However, after signing the extension with SSG, he started to go downhill. Over the past two years, Jong-hoon has gone 5-11 with a 6.12 ERA in 29 games (128 innings). SSG tried various methods to help Jong-hoon regain his form, 토토사이트 such as managing his starting schedule and making adjustments in the second team, but Jong-hoon was unable to revive.

After failing to rebound

Jong-hoon was eventually removed from the protected list in the second draft held in December last year. However, no team selected him. For Jong-hoon, it was a shock. “I’m glad I didn’t go to another team,” he said in an interview on the 3rd, “When I first heard it, I wondered if it was real. But after thinking about it, I think I would have made the same decision. An athlete speaks sexually. We have to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future. If I had gone to another team, I would have been really depressed,” he recalls.

Jong-hoon, who is trying to regain his form this year, said, “My preparation for the season is going well. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’m trying to get back to my best. I’ve lost about 14 kilograms. I’m putting the puzzle together one by one. Flexibility is more important than strength, but I realized that too late. I used to fluctuate in the low to mid 80s, but in the last three years I’ve been bulking up, I’ve been fluctuating in the 100s. I lost two years of my life, so I have to go back,” he says of his weight loss.

“I eat raw food at night and don’t eat carbohydrates in the evening,” said Park Jong-hoon, who revealed the secret to his weight loss. “I ran 10 kilometers a day, and I lost 3-4 kilograms a week. I exercise the same, but I ate less, so I lost a lot of weight,” he laughed. As for why he decided to lose weight, he said, “My mother-in-law analyzed my results. When I did well, she would watch the video and say, ‘Look at your weight at this time’ and give me advice.” He added.

For Jong-hoon, the key to revitalizing his career is to get his pitches in play and reduce his walks.

Last year, Jong-hoon struck out 6.75 batters per nine innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 15.7%, the highest of his career. In this regard, some analysts believe that the ABS (Automatic Ball Judgment System), which is scheduled to be introduced this year, could be an advantage for Jong-hoon.

However, Jong-hoon says, “I think it’s good to have a ball that goes high in the strike zone. In the past, there were a lot of pitches that were ruled balls even if they were inside the strike zone,” he said, adding, “I don’t think it matters, you have to throw it down the middle. Last year, it wasn’t even close to the strike zone,” emphasizing the importance of putting the ball in the strike zone.

This year, pitch clocks will be introduced, just like in the major leagues.

This may not be good news for Jong-hoon, who has had trouble keeping runners on base due to his unique pitching mechanics. However, 사설 토토사이트 Jong-hoon said, “I think it’s good. I actually have a fast pitching tempo, but I felt like I was matching the batter’s tempo, so I was slow to catch runners. But now, if the batter doesn’t get ready quickly, it will be called a strike, so I think I can just get ready quickly and throw,” he said, looking forward to the introduction of pitch clock.

“There may be a bottom, but I think this is the bottom,” said Park Jong-hoon, who added, “If we can keep the starting rotation for a full season, I think it will be a satisfying season. Last year, I was so angry with myself for skipping rotations and avoiding strong teams. I think my first priority is to stay in the starting lineup rather than a specific goal of winning a few games.” He strengthened his resolve.