SSG Landers rookie pitcher Song Young-jin (19) made a perfect pitch in his first start in his debut.
On the 14th, Song Young-jin took the mound as a starting pitcher against the NC Dinos held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. On this day, he recorded 5 innings, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts and no runs. He showed his presence in the first start of his debut. He used a variety of pitches, including fastballs (42), sliders (25), forks (11), and curves (4), and recorded a total of 82 pitches. His highest speed was 151 km. Thanks to Song Young-jin’s performance, SSG beat NC 2-1.
It is Song Young-jin who stands on the mound receiving the expectations of the command tower. When Kim Gwang-hyun left due to an injury, manager Kim Won-hyeong selected Song Young-jin as a replacement without hesitation. Even before the game that day, “Song Young-jin is all good. I am looking forward to it. I am curious about how he will throw it. He is a pitcher who will become a starting resource for the team in the future.”
Song Young-jin was unstoppable from the beginning of the game. He got off to a good start in the first inning, striking out Park Min-woo with three pitches. Afterwards, he struck out Park Se-hyeok after a full count, and even Park Min-woo handled it as a shortstop ground ball.
In the second inning, both struck out and caught an outcount. Song Young-jin’s breaking ball made NC batters often miss the bat. He struck out with a slider from Son A-seop and Park Seok-min and a forkball from Oh Young-soo.
I quickly cleared the innings up to the 4th inning, but ran into difficulties in the 5th inning, leading 1-0. Song Young-jin allowed Kim Joo-won to hit the ball when he was second out and first base. A situation that sent out a come-from-behind runner. Song Young-jin calmly continued pitching, and after an 8-pitch battle, he induced Han Seok-hyun to swing wrong. After overcoming the crisis, Song Young-jin met the requirements for a winning pitcher and handed over the mound to Baek Seung-gun. Baek Seung-gun and other team members kept the lead, and Song Young-jin got his first win in his debut.
His gutsy pitching stood out. It blocked the NC lineup lined with hard hitters. Even in a crisis situation, the way he threw the ball calmly was also impressive. SBS Commentator Lee Jong-yeol, who was in charge of the commentary on the day, praised Song Young-jin’s pitching, saying, “It seems like another star is being born.” If he continues to draw a growth curve, Song Young-jin can settle into the SSG starting lineup in the not-too-distant future. 안전놀이터