Jang Jae-young during his pitcher days. 

 

Jang Jae-young (22, Kiwoom Heroes), who converted from a pitcher to a batsman, performed well in his first Futures League game with the bat.

 

Jaeyoung Jang started as designated hitter number 6 in the Futures League match against the Doosan Bears held at Bears Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 21st, and recorded 1 hit, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts in 3 at-bats.

 

This game was the first actual game played by promising pitcher Jang Jae-young after switching to a hitter due to an elbow injury.

 

Jang Jae-young, who joined Kiwoom in 2021 with a contract fee of 900 million won, raised expectations as a large-scale pitcher with a fastball that can travel over 150 km, but he rarely showed his talent for three seasons. Until last year, he had appeared in 56 first-team games and had only 1 win, 6 losses, and an ERA of 6.45. His unstable pitch control was a problem, as he allowed 108 4-balls in 103⅓ innings.

 

Jang Jae-young, who felt pain in his elbow ahead of this season, was diagnosed with serious damage to the collateral ligament on the inside of his elbow as a result of a detailed examination early this month. Instead of undergoing surgery, he chose to undergo rehabilitation and become a batsman.

 

Jang Jae-young, who was evaluated as having talent as a batsman during his amateur days, showed decent batting in the Futures League game that day.

 

He struck out 3 pitches against '2022 Rookie of the Year' Jeong Cheol-won in the top of the first inning with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd base, but in the top of the 3rd inning, he appeared as the lead hitter and attacked Jeong Cheol-won's first pitch, hitting a left-field hit. Jang Jae-young, who retired with a strikeout in the top of the 5th inning, walked in the top of the 6th inning with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd bases, and later became the link between Shin Hyo-soo and Woo Seung-won's consecutive push walks. Jang Jae-young was replaced by pinch hitter Kim Woong-bin in the top of the 8th inning and ended the game that day. Goyang Heroes (Kiwoom 2nd District) won this game 8-6, getting 12 hits and 10 4-balls. Doosan starting pitcher Jeong Cheol-won performed poorly, allowing 9 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs in 2⅔ innings. 섯다