The oldest players in the 2023 KBO League are Choo Shin-soo, Kim Kang-min (SSG) and Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung), born in 1982카지노. The three players, who are 41 years old, become a hot topic when they are active as well as when they are sluggish. If it is the same as in the past, it has established itself as an indispensable resource within the team even at the age of retirement.
One of the next oldest players born in 1983 is Koh Hyo-jun, a left-handed bullpen pitcher for the SSG Landers. Koh Hyo-jun, born on February 8, has already turned 40 years old. After graduating from three commercials, he was nominated by the Lotte Giants in 2002 and made his professional debut, and this year is his 22nd year. He is a phenomenal survivability, considering that playing 10 years in the pros is not easy.
Koh Hyo-joon has played in various teams to the extent that the expression ‘journey man’ fits perfectly. He started out at Lotte and was a member of the SK Wyverns’ “bullpen of bees”, the predecessor of SSG Landers. After that, he played for KIA Tigers, Lotte, and LG Twins in turn and tried on all the so-called ‘El Rogi’ uniforms, which are popular clubs. After being released from LG at the end of the 2021 season, he returned to his parent team SSG.
Last year, Koh Hyo-joon pitched in 45 games and contributed to SSG’s regular season wire-to-wire championship with an average ERA of 3.72 and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.654 with 1 win and 7 holds. He was competitive as a left-handed bullpen with a fastball average velocity of 145.0 km/h.
In the Korean Series, he appeared in two games and recorded an average ERA of 0.00 with no runs in 1.1 innings, adding a championship ring. If he was sluggish during his 40-year-old season, it would have been difficult to extend his career as a player after last year, but it was a waste for Koh Hyo-jun.
Ahead of this season, concerns were raised that SSG’s bullpen would be weakened and a second consecutive loss would be difficult. It was because the most reliable left-handed bullpen pitcher in the team disappeared with the enlistment of managing director Kim Taek-hyeong, who had 17 saves and 10 holds while serving as a closer for a while last year. From the finisher to the left-handed setup man, SSG was questioned. Some even came up with a pessimistic outlook that SSG would sink to the middle ranks.
However, Koh Hyo-jun has appeared in 5 games this season and is showing a great trend with an average ERA of 0.00 and POPS of 0.321 with 1 win and 2 holds. He allows only two hits in 3.2 total innings and is very stable with a WHIP (average on base allowed per inning) of 0.55. Unlike previous years, when pitches were jagged, pitches are stable, with four strikeouts being eliminated while no four pitches are permitted.
The average velocity of the fastball was 143.1 km/h, down 1.9 km/h from last year. However, when the chilly weather at the beginning of the season gradually eases and the temperature rises, there is plenty of room for improvement in speed.
Thanks to Koh Hyo-jun’s good fight, SSG is 6-1 as of the 11th, with an odds rate of 0.857, and is running first place in the early stages, just like last year. The SSG bullpen ranks first with an ERA of 0.68 and second with an OPS of 0.520, and all major indicators are at the top. Attention is focusing on whether Koh Hyo-jun, who seems to have rejuvenated during the unfortunate season, will continue to take the lead in SSG’s second consecutive victory with steady performances.