Professional baseball KT Wiz’s ‘Young-gun duo’, Park Young-hyun (19)메이저놀이터, a second-year pro, and Son Dong-hyeon (22), a fourth-year ‘reserve’, are supporting the bullpen and providing great help to the second-place shooter.

Park Young-hyun, who wore the KT uniform through the first round of nomination last year, went on the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning with the team ahead 5-2 in a game against NC on the 13th, which was a critical moment for the second-place shooter, and finished the inning cleanly with a three-way retirement, becoming the youngest player in KBO League history (19). Age 11 months 2 days) I reached the 30 hold mark.

This season, Park Young-hyun is in trouble as key bullpen resources such as Ju-won, Kim Min-soo, and Park Si-young are out of the team or unable to play their roles due to injuries. In particular, he appeared in 15 games in August and was nominated for monthly MVP with 1 win, 10 holds, 3 saves, and an earned run average of 2.25.

Park Young-hyun’s strength is a heavy fastball in the mid-140 km range and a change-up that drops from a similar position. She is ahead of Noh Kyeong-eun (SSG, 24), who ranks second in the hold category, by 6, so she is likely to win the title of hold king.

However, the variable is that Park Young-hyun will join the Hangzhou Asian Games national team to be convened on the 23rd and leave the league for about 15 days. It is expected that 2-3 more holds will be added before joining the national team, so unless there is a major upset, it is expected that he will be crowned the hold king for the first time in his life. Park Young-hyun is a great help to his team’s strength with his strong courage and stable ball control that do not waver in any crisis.

Son Dong-hyun, who is emerging as another hope for KT’s mound, is also gaining strength with his recent stable performance. Son Dong-hyun, who was drafted in the 2nd 3rd round (No. 21 overall) in 2019, showed potential with 2 wins, 3 losses, and 5 holds in his first year as a starter and bullpen, but after only 1 hold in 2020, he joined Sangmu the following year.

This year, his first season after being discharged from the military, Son Dong-hyun is having a career-high season with 6 wins in relief, 1 save, and 12 holds in 54 games. He was mediocre until July, but came into his own in August. In 10 games, he had 2 wins, 4 holds, and an ERA of 1.50, and also had 3 holds in 5 games in September.

Coach Lee Kang-cheol, who was worried about Park Young-hyun’s absence from the Asian Games, has also eased his worries due to the growth of Son Dong-hyun, a traditional fireballer whose main weapon is a four-seam fastball reaching a speed of nearly 150 km per hour and who uses various breaking balls such as a slider, curve, and change-up.

Thanks to the performance of two young setup men, Park Young-hyun and Son Dong-hyun, KT has been able to raise hopes of becoming a champion for the first time in two years in the upcoming postseason, and in the long run, it has a rosy outlook in that it has a sense of finishing that will surely take responsibility for the team’s back door. A blueprint is being drawn.