With SSG Landers on a 4-game losing streak, ‘rookie’ Song Young-jin will make his second start.
SSG will face off against KT Wiz in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 20th. SSG is 4th with 8 wins and 6 losses, and KT is 3rd with 7 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses.
Recently, SSG’s momentum has waned. SSG suffered two consecutive losses to the NC Dinos last weekend. Then, on the 18th, he lost 2-4 in a face-to-face match with KT, and knelt down 2-5 in the match on the 19th. SSG, which was holding the lead, fell to 4th place.
In a situation where they lost 4 straight games, Song Young-jin starts the mound. Song Young-jin, who graduated from Daejeon High School, was nominated by SSG with the 15th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft. Song Young-jin, who participated in both spring camps in Florida, USA and Okinawa, Japan, received a lot of expectations from director Kim Won-hyung along with Lee Ro-wun.
Song Young-jin showed good performances in 4 games (2 starts), 1 win, 1 hold, 6 innings, 2 runs (1 earned run), 4 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts in 4 games (2 starts), and was included in the opening entry. He performed well even in the regular season.
Song Young-jin, who made his debut against the KIA Tigers on the 2nd, recorded 1 hit and 2 walks without allowing a run in 1⅔ innings. Then, against the Hanwha Eagles on the 8th, he pitched well with 3 strikeouts and 2 walks without conceding in 3 innings.
SSG canceled Kim Gwang-hyun from the first team entry on the 11th. Kim Gwang-hyun felt discomfort in his left shoulder after the Hanwha match on the 8th, and as a result of the examination, his left shoulder bursitis was found to be inflamed. With Kim Gwang-hyun unable to play for 10 days, Song Young-jin was selected as a substitute starter.
Song Young-jin reciprocated his trust. On the 14th, he started against the NC Dinos and earned his first win in his debut by pitching well with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts without conceding in 5 innings. In particular, he did not allow a single hit to the NC lineup and finished his starting debut as a no-hitter.
Song Young-jin,안전놀이터 who showed perfect form in his first start, will make his second start. Opponent is KT. KT’s team batting average is 0.297, which is first in the league. Attention is focusing on whether ‘rookie’ Song Young-jin will once again prove his ability against the mighty KT lineup.
Meanwhile, KT selection is Wes Benjamin. Benjamin pitched in three games this season and is recording an ERA of 3.38 with 2 wins, 16 innings, and 7 runs (6 ERA). Last season, he appeared in two games against SSG and marked an average ERA of 4.63 with 1 loss, 11⅔ innings, and 7 runs (6 ERA).