“I want to repay the faith.”
Hanwha Eagles’ Yoon Dae-kyung (29) took the mound in the middle innings of a home game against the KIA Tigers at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on May 25. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out two. He led Hanwha to a 4-3 victory and picked up his second win of the season.
Yoon took the mound with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning with the score tied 3-3. She got Byun Woo-hyuk to ground out to first base to end the inning. In the sixth inning, after Park Sang-un’s RBI single gave Korea a 4-3 lead, Yoon struck out Lee Woo-sung, Shin Beom-soo flied out to left field, and Kim Kyu-sung struck out to end the inning. The bullpen followed suit and secured the win without allowing another run.
After the game, Yoon Dae-kyung said, “I was told that the bullpen would go up against Byun Woo-hyuk, so I was prepared. I didn’t think I’d get out after facing just one batter. I expected to be able to pitch until the next inning. I think I was lucky because all the other pitchers were also scoreless, and I’m grateful to Park Sang-un for the game-winning hit.”
Yoon Dae-kyung continues to pitch well. In fact, he didn’t even make the opening roster after a poor performance in the exhibition games, but he has rebounded perfectly. In 18 games this year, he has a 2-1 record with a 1.33 ERA in 20⅓ innings pitched. He’s slowly becoming a pitcher who can be called upon in big moments. He’s become a card that managers can rely on. For his part, Yoon wants to reciprocate.
Yoon Dae-kyung said, “He’s been throwing me out a lot in tight situations lately. I feel like you have faith in me. I’m grateful. I want to repay that faith a little bit. Before, I was actually pitching a lot in win-loss situations. My ERA was good enough to be in the low 0s, but I didn’t think it meant much. Now, it feels good to pitch in tight situations. I want to keep pitching well,” he said.
Yoon previously made the transition to the starting rotation in the 2021 season. While the transition was a failure, she has since returned to the bullpen and has regained the form she once had. “I realized that starting is not for everyone,” Yoon said. I’m used to focusing on short innings and giving it my all. I think that’s what suits me,” he said, pleased with his performance.
For now, he just wants to fulfill his role regardless of his position. “Even if I’m not pitching in a game, I’m pitching in important situations. If I have a lead, I want to protect it and pass it on to the next pitcher. That’s also a meaningful role. However, I want to be able to fill in when the pitchers’ pace drops,” she said, vowing to continue to pitch well. 안전놀이터