"I don't think I have my spot."

On the 1st, at the KIA Tigers' Okinawa spring camp, at the Kin Baseball Stadium bullpen, closer Jeong Hae-young and the newly acquired ace Jang Sang-woo pitched in the bullpen side by side. They threw with powerful pitching forms, and the balls hit the catcher's mitt with a thud. The lively mood continued with catchers commenting, "Good ball." It was a solid bullpen performance by Jang Sang-woo, who is responsible for the 7th or 8th inning, and closer Jeong Hae-young.

During the offseason, subtle changes occurred. The team made a decisive trade to acquire Jang Sang-woo, who had been active as a closer for the Kiwoom Heroes. This was a move to fill the gap left when the winning ace Jang Hyeon-sik obtained free agency status and transferred to the LG Twins. It has been assessed that Jang Sang-woo, with a total of 88 saves, could compete with Jeong Hae-young for the closer role.

Manager Lee Beom-ho has already pinned Jeong Hae-young as the closer. "Hae-young has been a closer since he was a rookie and has done well. He is a winning closer. I won’t change that framework," he said. He actually conveyed his thoughts to Jeong Hae-young directly. Jeong Hae-young said, "When the manager ran into me by chance, he said, 'You will go in the 9th inning.' So I feel more responsible."

However, he did not let his guard down. The competition continues. "I still don’t think I have my spot. A good pitcher has come, so I came to camp with the mindset of competing. It's my fourth year as a closer. I need to be consistent to be recognized. I want to continue being consistent. My goal is to minimize blown saves and achieve team victory along with a full-time role," he said, gathering his thoughts.

Jang Sang-woo, acting like an older brother, said, "I will make sure Hae-young can pitch comfortably as closer." It was a promise to complete the 8th inning cleanly and hand over the mound. "With Sang-woo here, I am at ease. We talk a lot, and I learn by watching while training. He is incredibly strong and flexible, it seems he can pitch many innings. I am really grateful he makes things comfortable for me. If we combine our strengths, it could create synergy for the team," he expressed his gratitude.

On February 25, he made his first appearance in a practice match against the Hanwha Eagles, throwing one inning. His top speed was 145 km/h. He checked various pitches including fastballs and sliders, as well as forks and curves. "It wasn't bad for a first game. I also reached 145 km/h at last year's camp. It's more about pitch quality and location than speed. I am practicing to make my breaking pitches drop low. I need to throw far from the batter to induce swings and misses," he said.

Finally, he said, "Last year's championship ending was so good. Winning in Gwangju made it even more meaningful. I've always set my goal as winning. After winning, it really felt good and I was happy. I wanted to do it more," he smiled. His father Jeong Hoe-yeol, the coach of Dongwon University, has a history of winning championships as a catcher during the Haitai era. It was the first father-son championship ending in history.

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