KIA ran four consecutive wins from the match against Incheon SSG on the 5th to the match against Suwon KT on the 8th, when Kim Tae-gun joined as a trade. It doesn’t make sense to say that it’s entirely thanks to Kim Tae-gun. However, it seems certain that it is more effective than just the figures revealed.
KIA announced the replacement of all two foreign pitchers with Kim Tae-gun. Basically, it is true that the front desk has created an 꽁머니지급 atmosphere where they can fight. However, according to KIA players, the dugout became something more lively after Kim Tae-gun came.
Basically, with the joining of Kim Tae-gun, the KIA catcher’s batting order was removed from the stigma of resting batting order. Kim Tae-gun is not a huge slugger, but he is never a negligible hitter. And Kim Tae-gun is ranked No. 1 in PASS/9 based on the baseball statistics site Statistics. It is different from existing young catchers who were somewhat unstable in blocking and catching. Looking at the four-game winning streak, he was also seen catching pitchers’ strengths quickly and taking an efficient lead.
Kim Jae-yeol pitched a slow breaking ball to withstand four innings, and Yang Hyun-jong’s slider was not like Yang Hyun-jong, so he pitched a fast ball and a change-up. This is an example of Kim Tae-gun’s unique experience and intuition, although he is new to KIA pitchers. These parts block one point and have the effect of scoring one point. In just four games, Kim Tae-gun has already proven his bat skills clearly better than the existing young KIA catchers.
KIA players say that there are parts that do not seem to be figures, not the end. In the case of the game on the 5th, which was his debut, Kim Tae-gun did not start as he joined just before the game because he was moving from Pohang. He was put in the eighth inning and played two innings of defense and one at-bat.
However, according to the broadcast screen on this day, Kim Tae-gun was constantly talking with pitchers such as Yang Hyun-jong with his arms comfortably on the dugout rail. Sometimes pitchers laughed at Kim Tae-gun’s words. Yang Hyun-jong also expressed his gratitude that Kim Tae-gun accepted his signature system well.
I would have talked about baseball and joked. Lee Eui-ri said, “Tae-gun is so friendly. It was a great help,” he said. Lee Yi-ri is rather introverted. be not very talkative. Kim Tae-gun, who has the opposite tendency, was in good harmony. It was no coincidence that Suwon KT had three hits, eight strikeouts, two outs and no runs in five innings on the 8th.
When Lee Eui-ri rested in the second division, he found and corrected the shortcomings of bending sideways without stretching his arm straight in the direction of the batter during the pitching process. This part was also the key on this day, and it is rumored that Kim Tae-gun talked and encouraged him. Kim Tae-gun told Lee Eui-ri, “Just shoot it down.” In fact, it seems that he spoke enthusiastically (?) with a Busan dialect.
Na Sung-beom, who has been with Kim Tae-gun for a long time during NC, smiled and said, “I know Tae-gun well. He’s a friend who has good energy. He is a player who can revitalize with introverted friends. He said, “As a catcher, I play a good role in giving you strength.” In addition, Kim Do-young said, “Tae-gun talked to me first since he was in Samsung. “I was grateful. You have a good personality, so you will adjust quickly,” he said.
Kim Tae-gun’s actual personality is unknown, but if you take an MBTI test, there is a possibility that E is the player at the front. (Of course, it’s actually I, but there are many people who look like E with artificial effort). Anyway, when such a player is in the dugout, the team atmosphere becomes bright. It’s not that the KIA dugout atmosphere was bad when Kim Tae-gun was not there, but there is definitely a more lively and more ventilated aspect when Kim Tae-gun came.
Baseball is not a sport played by one or two people. Everything happens on the ground, but that’s not all. About 100 players, coaching staff, front desk, and support staff will work together for six to seven months and 144 games to move toward one goal. It is not wrong that the performance on the ground starts with the atmosphere of the dugout. The energy spread by one or two players with good personality and fighting spirit can create more synergy than figures. It is a pleasant effect for KIA, which Kim Tae-gun proved to some extent with four consecutive wins. I wonder why he brought such a player now. KIA has to tie Kim Tae-gun for a long time, whether it is a non-FA multi-year contract or an FA contract.