“I hope my record won’t be broken” One year younger than ‘Changyong’s undefeated’ 24 years ago, 22-year-old Tigers finisher, 100SV milestone

KIA Tigers closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young achieved a new record of 100 saves as the youngest player in the KBO League. It is a record that is one year younger than the ‘Invincibility of Changyong’ 24 years ago.

Jeong Hae-young appeared in relief in the 9th inning in the game against Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on April 24 and preserved the team’s 6-4 victory with 20 pitches in 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 strikeout, and no runs.

On this day, KIA allowed the first run when starting pitcher Yoon Young-cheol hit a timely hit by Yong-gyu Lee in the bottom of the third inning with one out and two bases on base. Afterwards, while Yoon Young-cheol suppressed additional runs until the bottom of the 5th inning, the KIA batting line launched a counterattack in the top of the 6th inning.

In the top of the 6th inning, with one out and runners on first and third base, KIA succeeded in turning the score around 2-1 with Lee Chang-jin’s tying grounder RBI and Kim Do-young’s RBI single and timely triple. Woo-seong Lee then scored an additional point with a lucky double that fell between the inside and outfield.

Afterwards, KIA took the win by adding 3 more points in the top of the 8th inning. The team was in crisis as they gave up runs in the bottom of the 8th and 9th innings, but closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young prevented a comeback in the bottom of the 9th with no outs on first and second base, ending the game with his 100th career save.

Haeyoung Jeong recorded 99 personal saves in the previous day’s game and was on the verge of reaching her 100th career save. The youngest person to make 100 saves in the KBO League was 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 2 days old as of April 25, broke Lim Chang-yong’s record after 24 years.

In addition, Haeyoung Jeong recorded 10 saves this season, becoming the 19th player in the KBO League to record double-digit saves for four consecutive years. This is the first record achieved by 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.

KIA coach Lee Beom-ho handed a congratulatory bouquet to Jeong Hae-young after the game and said, “I would like to praise Jeong Hae-young’s performance in protecting the team’s victory in a critical situation in the bottom of the 9th inning and becoming the youngest player to achieve 100 saves. He said, “I congratulate you on achieving the record and hope to build even greater records in the future.”

Jeong Hae-young, who met with reporters after the game, said, “It feels like I just made another save, so it doesn’t feel real yet. More than anything, it’s nice to be able to preserve the team’s victory in today’s difficult game. “I heard for the first time today that it was a record that was broken after 24 years, but the youngest record is not common, so I hope my record is not broken,” he said with a smile.

Jeong Hae-young, who joined KIA as a first-round pick in 2020, made a relief appearance against KT WIZ in Gwangju on August 30 of that year and earned his first save. Afterwards, Hae-Young Jeong, who began working as a closing pitcher in earnest in 2021, became the youngest player to make 30 saves for two consecutive years on September 24, 2022 (21 years, 1 month, and 1 day, the first for the Tigers), and 20 saves for three consecutive years on October 8, 2023 (Tigers). He is active as the youngest defender of the Tigers.

Jeong Hae-young said, “I thought I would just stick to the first team after being nominated as a pro, but I never thought I would start as a closing pitcher early and get 100 saves so quickly. All saves were difficult, but I remember the first save the most. It seems to be the result of him eating well and exercising hard. The reason I was able to take on the finishing position for 4 years in a row was thanks to the good defense of my good colleagues in front of me. “If I had suffered alone, I wouldn’t have been able to serve as a closing pitcher for this long,” he said, nodding.

As a closing pitcher, Haeyoung Jeong is suffering the fate of having to make a blown save. Jeong Hae-young said, “The most difficult thing mentally is the sense of desperation and futility I feel when I make a blown save and give up a tie or a comeback. He just sleeps and tries to forget quickly. “I’m glad he’s not the type of person to get into too much trouble,” he said with a smile.

Haeyoung Jeong hoped to become the closing pitcher for the winning team rather than record other records this season. Jeong Hae-young said, “I was concerned about his poor velocity last year, but I am fortunate that he prepared well for the off-season and got off to a good start. He honestly doesn’t have any distant goals when it comes to personal records. Without thinking much, he focused on the game every day and made 100 saves. “I just want the team to win this season,” he said emphatically.

After the press interview was over, Jeong Hae-young was showered with water by her teammates. Haeyoung Jeong enjoyed the joy of achieving her 100th save by exchanging water with her teammates with her bright smile. She got into a physical fight with Choi Ji-min, while Jang Hyun-sik jumped out holding a chair and made everyone laugh. Jung Hae-young’s 100th save commemorative ball went to Yoon Young-cheol, who achieved his third win of the season.

Gocheok (Seoul) = Reporter Geunhan Kim of MK Sports