“I feel more confident.”

Lee Yi-ri (21), KIA’s post-Yang Hyun-jong, has changed. He’s always been a good pitcher, but now he feels more relaxed. There’s a reason. His strikeouts are down.

Lee is 10-6 with a 3.84 ERA in 20 games and 96 innings this season. It’s his second straight year of double-digit wins after last year (10-10).

He’s in his third year of high school. He’s 21 years old, but he’s an established part of the KIA starting rotation. So far, so good. There’s still something to work on. ‘Jegoo’.

He strikes out a lot. This is especially true this season. Last year, he walked 74 batters in 154 innings. This year, it’s 70 in 96 innings. In terms of walks per nine innings, he jumped from 4.33 last year to 6.56 this year.

His strikeouts have actually increased. In 2022, he struck out 161 batters in 154 innings, or 9.41 batters per nine innings. This year, he has 118 strikeouts in 96 innings. That’s 11.06 per nine innings. It’s the first time he’s walked more than 10 since his debut.

바카라사이트 That means his pitches are powerful. He’s a left-handed fireballer who throws 150 kilometers per hour. It”s natural for a power pitcher to strike out a lot, but because of the high number of walks, he doesn”t get much attention.

Instead, there”s a change. His first and second halves are completely different. In the first half, in 16 games and 73 innings, he walked a whopping 62 batters. That’s 7.64 walks per nine innings.

In the second half, he’s thrown 23 innings in four games and has allowed just eight walks. That’s 3.13 walks per nine innings. That’s a drop of almost 60 percent from the first half. He even threw his first “0-ball game” of the season against the LG Electronics on April 9.

At the beginning of the season, there were many voices pointing out Lee’s strikeouts. Fans were also concerned. At first, Lee was calm. “I’m not a pitcher who throws strikes because I throw softly, and I’m not a pitcher who throws hard because I throw hard,” he said.

He prepared in silence, and noticeably reduced his strikeouts. His manager is also happy. On the 18th in Daegu, manager Kim Jong-kook said, “The balance has improved. He seems to have found mental stability, and his confidence has increased,” Kim said.

He continued, “He will get better once he establishes his routine. I’m looking forward to it. You’re going to compete internationally. I think I can do well for my team and for the national team.”