Lee Seung-yong finds a left-handed 150km fireballer
Hanoo Sol is growing into a real contender
There are many criteria to evaluate an athlete, and the eye of the beholder is always different. A player may look like gold in the eyes of one coach and a stone in the eyes of another. Doo-Han Sol (27-SSG), whose baseball career has been full of twists and turns, was one of those players whose evaluation was extremely mixed. Some said he was ready for the first team, others said he was not.
After donning the SSG jersey after the 2021 trials, Hanu Sol earned a call-up to the first team with impressive performances in the second team in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he pitched 31 innings in 28 games with a 1.74 ERA, and last year, he pitched 46⅓ innings in 40 games with a 2.72 ERA. He has a fastball that averages in the mid-90s and tops out in the low-90s, and his primary weapon, a slider, has proven to be effective against lefties.
SSG, which was without a left-handed bullpen after Kim Taek-hyung’s enlistment, also strategically raised Han Hoo-sol in the second team. However, he only appeared in eight games in 2022 and one game in 2023 in the first team. The pitching form was rough and it would take him a long time to catch the ball. He had a fastball, but he didn’t have a good finish. He wanted to try it out, but due to the team’s urgency in the standings, he didn’t get much time to test it. Hodgson himself didn’t show his quality in his limited first-team opportunities. It wasn’t a situation to blame anyone.
However, new SSG coach Lee Sung-yong had the opposite idea. Lee, a former Yasoo coach, knows firsthand that a pitcher’s rough form puts pressure on hitters. He prefers pitchers who are aggressive and harsh, even if their pitches are a little off. While that was a disadvantage before, it turned into an advantage, and he gained trust from the start of camp. After a fierce competition, he made the opening roster. He didn’t miss a day in the first team.
In April, he had a 5.14 ERA in 18 games and a 7.71 ERA in 11 games in May. His pitches weren’t perfect either, with a similar number of strikeouts and four walks. However, Lee focused on the power of his fastball, which has reached more than 150 kilometers per hour. He believed that hitters would have a hard time timing it.
Lee didn’t want to use Hanu-Sol at first base. His record showed a clear left-right bias. He was relatively strong against left-handers, but not against right-handers. He was relatively strong against left-handers, but not against right-handers, and his ERA 메이저사이트 spiked significantly. He could have put up a beautiful record against lefties, but he didn’t want to be half-hearted. He pushed him.
But in June, the tables have turned. Hanoo-Sol has been winning more games against lefties and less against righties. He’s still not a sure thing, but he’s been used in a variety of situations: when trailing, when they need more than one inning of relief, and when they have a big lead. In eight starts in June, he has a 1.23 ERA and a .200 batting average in 7⅓ innings pitched. He’s walked just two batters while striking out 11. Those are solid numbers that would be the envy of any closer.
“The coach and coach have given me many opportunities, and I want to live up to them,” said Han Hoo-sol, who is playing for a coach who knows his strengths. “Also, their generous praise when I did well has been the driving force behind my growth. I really want to thank them,” he said. To repay them, he promises himself every game that he will throw better. Nowadays, I always throw at least one 150-kilometer fastball in every game, as my concentration on the game has improved. My location has also improved.
Especially against righties. Now, instead of facing a lefty and getting out, he’s more likely to stay in if a righty is in the middle. “Coach Song told me to utilize my changeup against righties, and I got a strikeout with that pitch in yesterday’s game (against Hanwha 토토사이트 in Daejeon on the 14th),” Han said. I think it was a turning point for me personally,” he said of his changeup. With a slider against lefties and a changeup against righties, he’s on his way to becoming a complete setup man.
He was a pretty good baseball player in high school but didn’t get drafted. He moved to Japan to attend college. After serving in the military, he joined a professional organization, but was released once. Then he got his chance again, and it was the best period of his career. I’m not satisfied here. He believes he can create an even more glorious golden era. “I’m very happy to be able to continue playing for the first team rather than struggling,” Han said, adding, “I’m doing a good job with my physical fitness thanks to the pitching coaches and conditioning coaches. (Noh) is also a middle reliever, and he’s been very helpful with his rest and training routine,” he said. “I’m not in a position where I’m worried about going to the second team if I can’t pitch one game. I’ve just got to keep throwing the ball harder.