The nightmare is over. It’s time to soar again.
KT veteran right-hander Park Si-young (35) is a player whose ‘fate’ was changed by a trade on December 4, 2020.
At the time of the trade, he was not a ‘main card’ player. KT sent right-handed pitcher Choi Yi-joon (renamed Choi Gun) and the third-round pick in the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft to Lotte in exchange for infielder Shin Bong-ki and right-handed pitcher Park Si-young. The right-handed pitching prospect Choi and utility player Shin were more of a draw than Park.
And for good reason. Park didn’t make much of a splash during his time with Lotte. Park made his debut in 2010, pitching two innings in two games that year with a 22.50 ERA; in 2016, he appeared in 42 games and pitched 61⅔ innings with a 2-3 record and a 5.40 ERA; in 2017, he appeared in 47 games and pitched 57 innings with a 2-3 record and a 6. 47, in 2018, he appeared in 18 games and pitched 26⅓ innings with an 8.54 ERA, in 2019, he pitched 61⅔ innings in 43 games with a 1-0 record and a 4.23 ERA, and in 2020, he pitched 30⅓ innings in 36 games with a 1-0 record and an 8.01 ERA.
However, as soon as he moved to KT, he went 3-3 with a 2.40 ERA in 48 games and 45 innings pitched, so it’s safe to say that he was a trade success. In particular, he made a revolutionary contribution to KT’s first regular season championship by pitching 9 innings in 11 games in September with a 2-4 record and a 1.00 ERA, and 10 innings in 12 games in October with a 1-2 record. At the time, KT finished first in the regular season after beating Samsung in an unprecedented tiebreaker game. In the Korean Series, the team swept Doosan in four games to win the long-awaited title. Park Si-young was part of the winning moment. In Game 4 of the Korean Series, with KT leading 6-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Park entered the game with the bases loaded and one out and pitched ⅔ innings of scoreless relief, striking out one and walking none.
However, Park only pitched 15⅔ innings in 17 games in 2022, going 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA. He was plagued by elbow pain that eventually led to surgery, and he didn’t pitch a single game last year as he focused on rehabilitation.
This year is different. He has already started his comeback. Park pitched ⅔ of an inning in relief in an exhibition game against Hanwha on March 28, giving up four 카지노 runs (unearned) on three hits and one walk. “It was my first time pitching in a live game in almost two years, so it took a lot of strength,” Park said. “I had some muscle soreness the next day, but the trainers took good care of me and I was able to recover.”
The most positive factor, however, is the data. “But when I looked at the data,” Park said, “it showed similar numbers to before the injury, such as rotation, restraint, and tunneling.”
Of course, KT has a lot of talent in the middle innings, so it will be hard for them to stay in the game until the end. However, Park said, “It’s good for me to have so many good pitchers on the team,” adding, “It motivates me. I hope there will be more great pitchers,” Park said positively, and he is heading to the moment of his long-awaited comeback.
