Yang Hyeon-jong tough on himself after solid 1st start for Rangers

Yang Hyeon-jong tough on himself after solid 1st start for Rangers: More Sports / 유지호 / 2021-05-06 14:30:12

pitcher-MLB start

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers pitches in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis on May 5, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this USA Today Sports photo via Reuters, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers pitches in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis on May 5, 2021. (Yonhap)

pitcher-MLB start

Yang Hyeon-jong tough on himself after solid 1st start for Rangers

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- Even with 14 years of professional experience and nearly 2,000 innings to his credit in South Korea, Texas Rangers' pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong still battled some nerves ahead of his first major league start.

A 30-minute rain delay before taking on the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday (local time) probably didn't help. But the 33-year-old went out and struck out the side in the first inning, and it was just what the doctor ordered.

"Those three strikeouts helped me settle down, and I felt more comfortable after that," Yang said in his postgame Zoom interview, referring to his strikeouts of Byron Buxton, Josh Donaldson and Nelson Cruz in succession. "I stuck to my game plan. Although I didn't pitch that many innings, it wasn't a bad game at all."

Asked to grade his own performance, Yang was rather tough on himself and said: "I'd give myself 50 out of 100. I didn't get too flustered out there, but also, I didn't pitch long enough."

Yang lasted just 3 1/3 innings while making 66 pitches. He struck out eight hitters while giving up a run on four hits and a walk.

Though Yang didn't qualify for a win, it was still a strong start that followed a couple of solid relief appearances for the bespectacled left-hander.

Yang had his changeup working against the Twins. It had been his go-to pitch with the Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), where he won both the regular season and Korean Series MVP honors in 2017. Yang threw 24 changeups and induced eight whiffs, more than any other pitch he offered in the game.

"I've been throwing the changeup with confidence since my time in Korea," Yang said. "(My catcher) Jose Trevino put down the right signs at the right moments too."

The second inning didn't go as well for Yang, who served up a one-out solo home run to Mitch Garver. He allowed a couple of doubles as well, and Yang attributed that to his lack of command.

"After the game, I watched some of the at-bats where I gave up hits, and I left my pitches over the middle of the plate on those occasions," Yang said. "It's an area that I need to work on."

Yang struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced. But the Twins appeared better prepared against him the second time up, with Buxton hitting a double in his second plate appearance, and Cruz and Kyle Garlick also picking up hits when facing Yang for the second time.

"I wasn't able to adjust as well as I should have the second time through the order," Yang said. "I stuck to the same pitch sequence that worked well the first time."

Yang threw just two curveballs in the game. During spring training, the Rangers coaching staff encouraged Yang to throw more curveballs, noting they can be more effective than even Yang himself realized.

"If I can master an additional pitch, it'd make my life that much easier," said Yang, who mostly relies on fastballs, sliders and changeups. "I'll keep working on my curveball and hopefully I'll be able to keep hitters off balance with it."

Wednesday was a significant occasion for Yang himself and also for Korean baseball. Another South Korean pitcher, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals, also started on this day, a couple of hours ahead of the Rangers game.

Neither got a decision, as Kim was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning against the New York Mets with the Cardinals leading 2-1. Yang and Kim, two friends born four months apart in 1988, helped South Korea to the world junior baseball title, and both made their KBO debuts in 2007. They went on to win league MVP awards and developed into two of the very best in the league.

Now they're both living out their big league dreams. Kim arrived a year earlier and went 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA as a rookie in 2020. They've joined another former KBO star, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays, in the big league pitching contingent.

"I am honored to be mentioned in the same breath as those two pitchers. I don't even have a set role on the team," said Yang, who filled in for injured starter Kohei Arihara on Wednesday and may return to the bullpen once the Japanese pitcher recovers. "And I hope fans back home will enjoy these moments. I am competing with a sense of pride as a Korean player in the majors."

(END)