Last season, LG Twins relief pitcher Ham Deok-ju, 29, erased a question mark from his name. He came back from an injury and made a strong showing on the bullpen mound. He’s been competitive in the league again, and he’s confident in his body.
Ham Deok-ju left Doosan in a trade in 2021 to join LG. LG had high hopes for Ham Deok-ju, who had been a part of the bullpen at Doosan as a closer.
However, Ham Deok-ju was hampered by injuries after joining LG. An elbow injury limited him to 21 innings in 16 games in 2021, and he underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow after the season. In 2022, he pitched only 12⅔ innings in 13 games as he continued his rehabilitation.
In a recent interview at Jamsil Stadium, Ham said, “I threw a lot of pitches before I got injured, and I’ve had the bone chips in my elbow since I was a rookie. The pain subsided after a week of rest, so I didn’t have surgery, but I was traded at a time when I needed to have surgery. 온라인카지노 I threw with pain for a year, and that’s my biggest regret.”
After regaining his health last year, Ham Deok-ju had a resurgence.
He pitched 55⅔ innings in 57 games and finished with a 4-4 record, 16 saves, and a 1.62 ERA. In the Korean Series, he appeared in four games and pitched 3⅓ innings, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA to help the team win its first title in 29 years.
Based on his performance in the 2023 season, Ham secured a new contract with LG. He signed a four-year, 3.8 billion won ($600 million down payment, $1.4 billion annual salary, and $1.8 billion in incentives) contract as a free agent last December. Although the incentives are large, Ham Deok-ju is confident that he will be able to receive them because the threshold for achievement is not high.
“I thought staying at LG was the best scenario, and the team offered me good terms, so I quickly finalized the contract,” he said. “My performance last year was so good, but I think I can get the incentives even if I don’t have that kind of record. As long as I stay healthy and pitch in the first team, I think I can get enough.”
Last year, it was encouraging to see Ham go through a season without pain.
LG took great care of him during the season, even demoting him to the second team to rest. The team’s care allowed her to get back to her best and erased her concerns about recurring injuries.
“I’m not worried about injuries at all. I’ve been playing professionally for more than 10 years, and I actually took two years off due to injury and still became a free agent.” “I don’t think I’m an injury risk player,” he said emphatically.
After the 2023 season, LG will have a gaping hole at the closer’s position. Go Woo-seok (San Diego Padres), who has 139 career saves, made it to the U.S. Major League Baseball, and the search for a replacement began. Ham Deok-ju, who had 55 saves for Doosan and four for LG last year, was considered as the new closer, but LG opted for right-handed reliever Yoo Young-chan.
Regarding the closer position, 파워볼실시간 Ham said, “There is no regret or change because it is the manager’s decision. (Yoo) Young-chan is the best, so he decided. I’m just going to do what I have to do. I don’t care much about it.”