Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung urged closer Kim Won-jung (32) to overcome his nemesis relationship with SSG Landers' Guillermo Heredia (34).
During an interview before the game against SSG Landers in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 26th, Kim Tae-hyung said, 'Please ask Kim Won-jung how he will really handle it,' while discussing the nemesis relationship between Kim Won-jung and Guillermo Heredia.
On the 25th, Kim Won-jung made a relief appearance against SSG, recording 1 inning, 1 hit allowed (1 home run), 1 strikeout, 1 earned run, and a blown save. Kim Won-jung took the mound in the bottom of the 9th with Lotte leading 2-1. He threw a 148 km/h fastball to Heredia with one out, but it was a mistake that went right down the middle, allowing a game-tying solo home run. After retiring two batters, he did not allow a walk-off, but recorded a blown save in his first appearance of the season, and Lotte struggled to win 3-2 after an 11-inning battle, ending their two-game losing streak to start the season.
Kim Won-jung, who has a career record in the KBO League of 382 games (676 innings) with 39 wins, 49 losses, 4 holds, 132 saves, and an earned run average of 5.09, had a productive last season with 56 games (63⅓ innings), recording 3 wins, 6 losses, 25 saves, and an earned run average of 3.55. He obtained free agency status at the end of the season and re-signed with Lotte for a total of 5.4 billion won over 4 years.
Since 2020, Kim Won-jung has been working as Lotte's closer and has shown particular weakness against Heredia. He has allowed a home run in all three at-bats he has faced against him. Kim Tae-hyung noted, 'It’s burdensome from the start, so it’s hard to get ahead in the ball count. You shouldn't engage in a showdown there. You have to make it difficult no matter what. After all, it would be more probable to face the batter after (Heredia),' expressing his disappointment.
When asked what he thought Kim Won-jung would do when facing Heredia again, Kim Tae-hyung remarked, 'Having played baseball for several years, he obviously has to go out. The setup pitchers in front of him have likely already gone out, so what can he do? He has to overcome it,' showing confidence in Kim Won-jung. He added with a laugh, 'Otherwise, he might just avoid it. He wouldn’t walk him, would he?'
Lotte secured victory in their last game when Son Ho-young hit a go-ahead single in the 11th inning. Regarding the change in extra innings starting from this season, which was reduced from 12 to 11, Kim Tae-hyung stated, 'It’s much better. It’s good for managing pitchers, extending to the 11th inning is nice. The 12th inning was, frankly, a bit burdensome.'
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