Defending KBO champions counting on versatile pitcher to provide midseason boost

▲ In this file photo from June 3, 2020, Lee Yong-chan, then of the Doosan Bears, pitches against the KT Wiz in the bottom of the third inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from May 28, 2020, Lee Yong-chan, then of the Doosan Bears, pitches against the SK Wyverns in the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from June 3, 2020, Lee Yong-chan, then of the Doosan Bears, pitches against the KT Wiz in the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

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Defending KBO champions counting on versatile pitcher to provide midseason boost

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- Signing a 32-year-old pitcher coming off an elbow surgery may not seem to be a recipe for success, but the NC Dinos believe Lee Yong-chan can still be a dependable and versatile pitcher.

On Thursday, the Dinos, reigning Korean Series champions, signed the last remaining free agent in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Lee agreed to a three-year deal, plus a mutual option for a fourth season, worth up to 2.7 billion won (US$2.4 million).

Lee spent the previous 13 years with the Doosan Bears, compiling a 53-50 record with 90 saves and a 3.88 ERA in 342 appearances. He has both started and closed for the Bears, and was an All-Star in 2010 at age 21.

He led the KBO in saves with 26 in 2009. Then in 2018, Lee was 15-3 with a 3.63 ERA, ranking second in wins and third in ERA. This came a year after Lee recorded 22 saves.

It's that history of versatility that the Dinos are banking on, not Lee's lost season of 2020, when he was limited to five games and underwent a season-ending elbow operation in June.

Lee became a free agent in the offseason, but perhaps understandably so, he wasn't signed in time for the start of the season in April. Lee was still rehabbing and was at least a couple of months away from pitching in games. Teams didn't want to take any risk.

Then earlier this month, Lee latched on to an independent ballclub and faced live batters in games. The right-hander hit 149 kilometers per hour (92.5 miles per hour) on the radar gun, a few ticks above his average from recent seasons. More importantly, Lee reported no pain after his outings.

Living up to the mantra that no baseball team can ever have enough pitching, the Dinos swooped in and gave Lee a new home.

The Dinos manager Lee Dong-wook said, in an ideal world, Lee would step in as a starter. But the pitcher will need more time to get his arm ramped up so it can withstand the rigors of five-plus innings on a regular basis.

"I heard he can throw about 50 pitches now. If he joins our bullpen, he could probably get here by mid-June," Lee said. "But if we were to make him a starter, we'll have to wait a bit longer. It's been about a year since his surgery, and we'll have to talk to him about his health and his role on our team."

After inking his deal, Lee said all the right things: that it doesn't matter when he comes into a game as long as he can help the club win.

"I've been a starter, a middle reliever and a closer. When I was pitching for the Bears, I did everything the team wanted," he said. "As long as I can pitch, I am up for any role. I'll do whatever the team wants me to do."

The Dinos are hanging around because of their high-octane offense, while their pitching has been about league average.

From the rotation, Drew Rucinski has done his part. Other than two outings in which he gave up a combined 15 runs in nine innings -- four unearned -- Rucinski has held opponents to one or zero runs in six starts. He's 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA.

But the Dinos lack depth behind Rucinski. Wes Parsons, a new acquisition, has a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA, but hasn't pitched more than six innings in any of his six starts this year.

Their emerging ace Koo Chang-mo hasn't pitched this year while dealing with an elbow issue that carried over from last season. Veteran Lee Jae-hak began the season in the rotation but quickly fell out of favor after allowing 10 runs in his first 7 2/3 innings while walking 10 batters. New faces Shin Min-hyeok and Park Jung-soo have been solid in spot starts, but may not be long-term solutions. Before this season, both Shin and Park had made just seven starts in their careers.

Even if Lee can't bolster the rotation right away, he can still be a serviceable piece in the bullpen. Their relievers have had some adventurous moments -- most recently on Wednesday, when five relievers combined to blow a 5-0 lead over the final four frames in a 6-5 loss to the LG Twins in 10 innings.

Lee will be reunited with his longtime batterymate Yang Eui-ji, who worked behind the plate for the Bears from 2007 to 2018 before joining the Dinos as a free agent in December 2018.

"I am happy to be pitching to Eui-ji again," Lee said. "It's nice to have someone that I can lean on. He told me he has empty lockers on either side, and I just have to decide if I want to sit to his left or to his right."

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