Taeyang Lee has ‘100 innings’ for 3 consecutive years

To borrow the expression of Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho, an ‘irreplaceable’ player becomes a pillar of pitching and hitting. Chae Eun-seong and Noh Si-hwan are expected to serve as the backbone of the batting lineup. On the mound, Taeyang Lee (33), who has shown consistency by pitching 100 innings for three consecutive years, is expected to alleviate many of Manager Choi's concerns.

Lee Taeyang returned to Hanwha, where he first started his professional career, as a free agent ahead of this season. Lee Tae-yang himself hoped to return to Hanwha, and the club also needed a pitcher who could play in all weathers, including going back and forth between starting and bullpen positions. Taeyang Lee, who had great affection for Hanwha, took on the role of 'housekeeper' on the Hanwha mound this season, as expected by the club. If the starting pitcher went down early, he was there to support him, and he was also called up when the team needed a replacement starter.

Although he had a vague role distinction, he did his part wherever he was. In the second half of the season, he joined a cracked starting lineup and played in the rotation until the end of the season. He appeared in 50 games this season and helped Hanwha get out of last place with an outstanding performance of 3 wins, 3 losses, 2 holds, and an ERA of 3.23. He played 100.1 innings, the fourth longest on the team, following Felix Peña, Ricardo Sánchez, and Moon Dong-ju, who only played as starters.

Taeyang Lee has pitched more than 100 innings for three consecutive years since the 2021 season when he was a member of SSG. This is a record he set while playing in the starting and bullpen positions, and it would have been difficult for him to achieve if he had not taken good care of his body. Lee Tae-yang also looked back on this season and showed his attachment to ‘innings.’ He said, “I pitched 100 innings for three years in a row, a record that I am personally proud of,” and added, “I am really satisfied that I played the season without any major injuries while switching between starting and bullpen positions.”

It is true that there was some pressure. Since he signed a four-year free agent contract worth a total of 2.5 billion won, there was pressure to show good performance. Taeyang Lee said, “At the beginning of the season, he thought, ‘I don’t think I’m playing baseball.’ “He went into the rest of the season with the mindset of doing half as well as he did last year,” he said. “I kept my mind light, so I was able to finish well with good results.”

Taeyang Lee did not define his role as he always did. He said, “I don’t know what position I will start in next year. “I will prepare according to the role given to me, whether it is a starter or a bullpen,” he said, adding, “I will prepare my body so that I can show my performance on the mound without getting sick.”

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