After signing a multi-year contract in December 2021, the slump continued,
“Focusing on flexibility rather than strength Putting the puzzle together.”
“I don’t think there’s ever been a season where I haven’t played baseball like this. He thinks he's hit rock bottom. “Now we have to go up.”
These are the words of Park Jong-hoon (33), SSG Landers’ submarine pitcher, who has continued to perform poorly recently.
Jong-Hoon Park is the representative submarine pitcher of the KBO League. He filled the required number of innings for four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020, solidifying his position as a member of SSG's starting lineup. He had 47 wins, 37 losses, and an earned run average of 4.25 in 116 games (114 as a starter) over four years. 메이저사이트
Park Jong-hoon, who achieved double-digit wins (12 wins) for the first time since his debut in 2017, played 14 wins, 8 losses, and an average ERA of 4.18 in 30 games in 2018. He continued to play in the starting rotation in 2020, recording 13 wins, 11 losses, and an average ERA of 4.81.
In 2021, he performed well with 4 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 2.82 in 9 games before undergoing elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June.
SSG judged that Park Jong-hoon was a pitcher who could definitely fill the starting rotation, and gave him a multi-year contract. In December 2021, before becoming a free agent, Park Jong-hoon signed a 5-year contract worth a total of 6.5 billion won.
However, after returning from elbow rehabilitation, he suffered from poor performance. In 2022, he went 3-5 with an ERA of 6.00, and in 2023, he went 2-6 with an ERA of 6.19.
Jong-Hoon Park said, “It was very difficult for two years of poor performance. In 2022 and 2023, he also returned and trained on Mondays (without games). “I felt sorry for my family, but I worked out without resting even for a day,” he said. “But the results were not good, so I thought, ‘I’m working so hard, why can’t I do this?’ “He said, ‘I have to do more,’ and he even stopped himself.”
SSG excluded Park Jong-hoon, who was unable to overcome his poor performance, from the 35-man protected player list during the second draft in November last year. It came as quite a shock to Park Jong-hoon, who had a deep affection for the team.
Park Jong-hoon said, “I was surprised when I first heard the news that I had been excluded from the list of protected players. “To be honest, I wondered if it was real,” he said. “But in hindsight, I think I would have made the same choice if I were in the club’s position.” “Aren’t you talking about players in terms of their grades?” he confessed.
Park Jong-hoon, who remained at SSG because no club nominated him in the second draft, said, “I’m glad no other team selected me. “I think he would have suffered from depression if he had transferred,” he said with a laugh.
Park Jong-hoon, who went through a difficult time, said, “Recently, I have put it down a bit. He also spends time with his family. “He seems to be getting more comfortable and better,” but he is scourging himself harshly, dreaming of resurrection.
He lost 14kg of weight to get back to feeling like he was at his best.
At the beginning of the interview, Park Jong-hoon asked, “Has anything changed?” and answered, “When my grades were good, my weight was in the low to mid 80 kg. However, as he built up his muscles, his weight fluctuated around 100 kg,” he said. “But I thought that flexibility was more important than strength. “He is putting the puzzle together one by one to get back to the good times.”
He continued, “My mother-in-law said, ‘When the results were good, my weight was like this.’ “I changed my diet, eating only raw food in the evening,” he said, adding, “Once I changed my eating habits, I lost weight quickly.”
Park Jong-hoon, who is working hard, will leave for the United States on the 10th and train with Choo Shin-soo at his home in Dallas, Texas.
He said, “I have trained at Choo Shin-soo’s house before. It is a good environment for exercising. “We have everything set up so you can train at home,” he said. “You can do weight training and Pilates. Catch ball is also possible. “He wanted to throw the ball quickly in a warm place,” he said.
Park Jong-hoon's goal this year is to not skip the starting rotation.
Jong-Hoon Park said, “Due to poor performance over the past two years, I was excluded from the rotation ahead of games against certain teams. “I was angry and disappointed with myself as I became the picture of avoidance,” he said. “I think I can say that I have found trust if I complete my pitching schedule regardless of the opposing team.” “I will think positively and definitely bounce back,” he said. 19가이드03