It’s a mind and performance that wasn’t born in 2005.
Doosan Bears rookie closer Kim Taek-yeon took the mound as relief pitcher in an away game against the Samsung Lions in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Pohang Baseball Stadium on Sunday. He allowed one hit, one strikeout and no run in one inning to secure his save. He kept his team’s 5-2 come-from-behind victory.
It was a very meaningful save. He posted his 16th save in this season, tying the most saves in a single season by a high school graduate in the KBO League. The previous record was 16 saves by Na Seung-hyun of the Lotte Giants in 2006.
In addition, he became the youngest player to save against the Lotte Giants in a single season. As of Monday, Kim was 19 years, 2 months, and 18 days old. The previous record was 19 years, 10 months, and 9 days of debt by the Kia Tigers against the Doosan Bears in Gwangju on July 2, 2021. The previous record for the Bears was 20 years, 5 months, and 22 days old when Lee Yong-chan (NC Dinos) made the Lotte Giants’ letter of resignation on June 24, 2009, under the eight-team system.
Kim Taek-yeon also made 10 saves as the youngest rookie ever at the age of 19 years, 1 month, and 20 days against the Kiwoom Heroes in Jamsil on July 23. Since then, she has cruised steadily and conquered even more meaningful records. Kim Taek-yeon’s season performance is excellent with 3 wins, 2 losses, 4 holds, 16 saves, and an ERA of 1.94 in 52 games, 55 ⅔ innings.
After the game, Kim said, “I thought it would be a tie record if I post a save this time, but when I warmed up, I couldn’t. I just took the mound with the mindset of “Let’s not walk or walk, but let’s play fast.” I’m glad to hear that.”
When he was the youngest to set a save record against a former club, he said, “Oh,” in small amazement. “I knew my team would make a save against a former club, but I didn’t know the youngest,” Kim said with a smile. “I feel great to achieve a good record again.”
These are the records that can only be achieved by keeping a team win every time. “I didn’t know that Doosan would be assigned to finish the game so fast,” Kim said. “I thought it might be a little early, but I prepared well after visiting the second division once,” he said. “I always try to throw responsibly every day because my team could lose because of me. Especially now is the time when competition for rankings is important, so I focus more on pitching.”
At the current pace, he is expected to become the youngest person to make 20 saves in a season. The previous record is held by Jeong. He has 20 years and 23 days.
“I would feel great if I set several records,” Kim said. “When I have one new record left, I think people would say, ‘Isn’t it because of the record?’ But I don’t like that. I also want to do it quickly if I achieve it. First of all, not to get sick is the most important thing, so I’m doing my best to take care of my body.”
As more and more players play multi-innings recently, people are worried. In August alone, he had four or more out-counts in four out of seven games. “I’m okay. I rested as much as I did before throwing a lot,” Kim said. “There are no big problems. It’s natural for everyone to have a hard time when they play in a game. How well they recover will determine their condition. It’s okay because they try to relax more when they’re having a hard time.”
“When I take the mound in the eighth inning, I often find myself in a critical situation. When I look at the game situation, I think about what to do and whether to strike out this batter,” he said. “When I take the mound in the ninth inning, I make a commitment to focus on the first batter and catch him well. If I get two outs, I will try to reduce my walk.”
He became a losing pitcher with one run in one inning on the 18th, when he hit a walk-off home run against KT Wiz. Kim Taek-yeon said, “I took the mound in the eighth inning and blocked it well, so I expected that if I passed the ninth inning safely, the atmosphere would definitely come to us. But I couldn’t do the ball count fight, so I threw it well and got hit by a home run,” adding, “I think I was not good enough. I was sorry for the team, but I think I was able to prepare better for this game because of the game.” 토토사이트
Beyond being a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year, he is considered the hero of the year. Kim Taek-yeon shook her head without hesitation. “I set a goal for that kind of title before the season, but now I really don’t care. What I need to do right now is so important. I should not get hurt first.”
She feels affection for the closing position. “She has a lot of charms. She can throw only in situations where she wins, and the most reliable pitcher in her team is in charge,” Kim said. “I really like that I can keep my team’s victory at the end.”