
Game 2 of the Korean Series picks up right where Game 1 left off.
A big pitcher and the next generation of aces will square off. The Kia Tigers and Samsung Lions have announced Yang Hyun-jong (36) and Hwang Dong-jae (23) as their starting pitchers for Game 2 of the 2024 Korean Series at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Wednesday.
Yang Hyun-jong is Kia’s self-explanatory ace, with the nickname “The Great Pitcher” saying it all. He holds the record for the most strikeouts in the KBO and has pitched over 170 innings for 10 consecutive seasons. This season, he went 11-5 with a 4.10 ERA.
Yang will be back on the mound in the Korean Series for the first time in seven years since 2017, when he won 20 games and tossed a complete game shutout in Game 2 of the Korean Series with nine innings of four-hit ball, two walks and 11 strikeouts, 메이저사이트 and then pitched the ninth inning of Game 5 to earn the save in the V11 finale.
“If Yang Hyun-jong pitches like he did in 2017, it will be the best case scenario,” said Kia manager Lee Beom-ho, adding, ”If he can hold on for five or six innings, I think it will create a favorable situation for the team.”
The Samsung Lions need to bounce back from their Game 1 loss, and Hwang Dong-jae (23) is their pick.
Samsung planned to decide the starting pitcher for Game 2 based on the outcome of Game 1. If left-hander Lee Seung-hyun didn’t pitch in Game 1, he would be utilized in Game 2, and if not, Hwang would take the mound. When Lee was used in relief in Game 1, the baton naturally went to Hwang Dong-jae.
Hwang, who joined Samsung as the first overall pick in the 2020 Rookie Draft, went 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 games and 42 innings pitched this season. He split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, helping Samsung finish second in the pennant race. In Game 3 of the playoffs against the LG Twins, he started and pitched three innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, three walks, and striking out three.