Seo Jinyong smiles as he breaks club record for most SVs “This is what water baptism looks like!”

There were many twists and turns, but the closer was able to rise to the occasion. SSG Landers’ Seo Jin-yong wrote his name in the club’s history.

SSG improved to 64-2 with a 4-2 victory over the Lotte Giants in the 15th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Wednesday.

In the top of the eighth inning with his team leading 4-2, Seo Jin-yong, who came on in relief, was tasked with a four-out save. However, he got out of the jam by getting Nico Goodrum to fly out to center field, and in the top of the ninth, he struck out the bottom of the order of Lee Jung-hoon, Ahn Kwon-soo, and Kim Dong-hyuk to end the game. Seo’s final line on the day was 1 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with one strikeout,

With the one additional save, Seo earned his 37th save of the season and moved into first place on the club’s single-season saves list, including his time with SK. Jo Woong-chun (2003) and Chung Woo-ram (2012-over 30 saves) are third and Chung Dae-hyun (2007-27 saves) is fifth. After the game, SSG head coach Kim Won-hyung applauded Seo Jin-yong, saying, “I sincerely congratulate him on achieving the club’s single-season record for saves, and I hope he shows good form in the remaining matches without any injuries.”

After the broadcast interview, Seo, who was doused with water by Choi Min-joon, Lee Irene, and Song Young-jin, said, “This is the first time I’ve ever been doused with water. I never imagined it. I often douse hitters with water when I get a big hit, but when the water suddenly came flying at me, I thought, ‘This is what it feels like.

“Regardless of the record, it’s important to win one game at a time, so in a way, I wanted to be on the mound as much as possible because I was in a winning situation,” Seo said. “After I got the last out, I thought, ‘That’s it, the team won and I did it,'” he recalled.

“As a closer in a winning situation, if the game goes over, everything falls apart, 온라인바카라 so I think I played a big role,” he said. “Even though the team was in a difficult situation, I always kept pitching with the same mindset and heart, and I tried not to put any pressure on myself, so I think I was able to play comfortably.”

Seo, who joined SK with the seventh overall pick in the first round in 2011, has had an up-and-down career over the years, but rebounded in 2019 with 33 saves and has since become an integral part of the bullpen. After going 7-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 68 games, 12 starts, and 21 saves last year, Seo has been one of the best closers in the league this season, going 3-4 with a 2.00 ERA in 60 games, 63 starts, and 37 saves.

This season has been no different. He didn’t have a single blown save until last month’s game against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil, but he’s had his ups and downs since then. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, either, as there have been games where he has given up runs or suffered losses regardless of his blown saves.

“When things are going well, I honestly don’t think about it, but when things don’t go well, it depends on how you overcome it, so it may or may not go well after that, so I think I did well in that part,” Seo said.

“I’m grateful to the managers and coaches who trusted me until the end, and the bullpen did a good job, so I’m grateful for that,” Seo said, “The coach said, ‘The closer should have 40 (saves),’ and I think that’s true. It’s not over just because we broke the team record, but we’re going to keep pushing for the best in winnable games for the rest of the season.”