“When I go out there, the team should have an 80 percent chance of winning. I have to have that kind of faith.”

This is what SSG ace Kim Kwang-hyun said when he returned to the KBO ahead of the 2022 season. He said that regardless of his win or loss, the most important thing is for SSG to win on the day he pitches. The logic is that if it becomes 8%, his teammates will have faith in the ace, and the opponent will have pressure.

This is the definition of an ace. In fact, there are tons of secondary stats to evaluate starting pitchers. But all pitchers have one fundamental purpose. To win games. They want their pitches to have a close impact on the team’s victory, and they plan their game plan accordingly.

Kim Kwang-hyun believes that, at least for an ace, his team should have an 80% win percentage on the day he pitches. He proved it last season. This season is off to a slightly worse start than last year, but there is faith that the team will eventually converge on a high winning percentage.

The best pitcher in the KBO over the past two to three years is Ahn Woo-jin (Kiwoom). Kiwoom should win a lot of games when Ahn is on the mound. Their offense isn’t as strong as SSG’s, so they need to take advantage of Ahn’s starts.스포츠토토

However, in the 10 games that Ahn has pitched this season, Kiwoom is 5-5. That’s no consolation prize. Given Ahn’s power and Kiwoom’s history of not being the strongest team in the league, we should follow Kim’s logic and give them at least an 80% win rate.

In his last 10 games, Ahn hasn’t been blown out in a big way. Eight quality starts. There is a belief that if you go out there, you will hold them to 2 runs or less for 7+ innings. However, there are only four games in which the Kiwoom offense has scored more than five runs on the day of Ahn’s start. There are many days when he pitches well but doesn’t get much run support.

The Kiwoom bats have gotten more seasoned this year with the addition of Lee Hyung-jong and Lee Won-seok, but they’re still a middle-to-lower tier power by most measures. That’s not to say their defense isn’t solid. There are some cracks in the offense, leaving Ahn Woo-jin lonely and hurting the team’s chances of winning. Kiwoom’s 19-25 record and eighth-place slide after the loss to Suwon KT on April 24 is largely due to Ahn’s inability to improve his win percentage in his starts.

Ahn Woo-jin has matured a lot. Above all, he is ‘overpowering’. Based on this season’s stats alone, Eric Pedroia (NC) is the best. However, based on his consistency, impact, and power over the years, Ahn is definitely the KBO’s No. 1 pitcher. He doesn’t hit 160 like Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), but his all-around stuff, command, and game management are unrivaled.

Ultimately, Kiwoom should challenge for the title when Ahn is in his prime. With Lee Jeong-hoo leaving for the Major Leagues next year, they’ll be even more desperate to win. However, the reality of the first two months of the season is far from what they thought it would be.