Is Changyong’s undefeated status surpassed after 24 years? The 22-year-old finisher is the youngest player in the league to achieve 100 SV. ‘-1’

KIA Tigers pitcher Jeong Hae-young made only one save to become the youngest player in KBO League history to reach 100 saves.

KIA won 5-2 against Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on April 23. With this victory, KIA recorded 18 wins and 7 losses on the season, firmly maintaining its sole lead.

KIA scored first in the first inning. With two outs in the top of the first inning, Kim Do-young hit Ha Young-min’s second pitch, a 143 km/h fastball, and launched a large left-handed solo home run with a distance of 130 meters.

KIA, aiming for an additional run, had the opportunity to reach first and third bases with one out and one out in the top of the fifth inning thanks to consecutive hits by Lee Woo-sung and Kim Sun-bin. The lead went up to 2-0 with Junsu Han’s sacrifice fly ball to center field.

Kiwoom, who launched a counterattack, balanced the game with one shot in the bottom of the 8th inning. With two outs and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Kim Jae-hyeon’s double led to Joo Seong-won’s tying two-run home run. Joo Seong-won hit Jeon Sang-hyun’s fourth pitch, a 136 km/h slider, and drew a two-run arch with a distance of 115 meters.

The game ended up going into overtime. KIA took the opportunity to load the bases with two outs in the top of the 10th inning thanks to hits by Won-jun Choi and Ho-ryeong Kim and a walk by Do-young Kim. Tigers’ No. 4 hitter Choi Hyeong-woo came forward to solve the problem. After a 7-pitch match with Cho Sang-woo, Choi Hyung-woo hit a timely hit with 2 RBIs to turn the game around. Then, Socrates, the follow-up hitter, also contributed to the victory with a timely hit with 1 RBI.

KIA ended the game by scoring Jeong Hae-young in the bottom of the 10th inning. Haeyoung Jeong allowed consecutive on-base runs with a walk and a hit after one out, but caught the subsequent batters and achieved her ninth save of the season without allowing a run.

With this day’s save, Haeyoung Jeong recorded 99 saves in her personal career and is on the verge of reaching 100 saves in her career. The KBO League’s youngest record of 100 saves was held by Lim Chang-yong (then of the Samsung Lions) in 2000 at the age of 23 years, 10 months, and 10 days. Jeong Hae-young, who is 22 years, 8 months and 1 day old as of April 24, is likely to break Lim Chang-yong’s record after 24 years.

Jung Hae-young, who achieved his first relief win in his debut match against the Hanwha Eagles in Gwangju on July 1, 2020, made his first save in the second game of a doubleheader against KT WIZ held in Gwangju, his home stadium, on August 30 of the same year. Hae-young Jeong took the mound as the team’s closing pitcher in earnest starting in the 2021 season, his second year, and established himself as a key bullpen for the team by achieving 34 saves. Since then, he has steadily accumulated saves and is likely to become the 22nd player in history to record 100 saves in the KBO League.

In addition, Haeyoung Jeong has only one save in her double-digit save record for four consecutive years. When achieved, it is the 19th record in the KBO League and the first as a pitcher who has played exclusively in KIA for all four years. If he achieves 20 or more saves this season, he will become the 7th player in history to make 20 saves for 4 consecutive years.

The KBO plans to award a commemorative award to Jung Hae-young in accordance with the commendation regulations if she achieves 100 saves.

Kim Geun-han, MK Sports reporter