“I knew you could do it.”
Former SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) coach Trey Hillman sent a congratulatory video to Seo Jin-yong, who became the ‘King of Salvation’ with the most saves this season.
Coach Hillman served as the head coach of the SK Wyverns from 2017 to 2018 after coaching multiple major league teams. In 2017, his first year in office, he led the team to the semifinals with 75 wins, 68 losses, and 1 draw. The following year, they recorded 78 wins, 65 losses, and 1 draw, taking second place in the regular league and even winning the Korean Series.
It is no exaggeration to say that Coach Hillman is the coach who started the hiring of Seo Jin-yong as a closing pitcher, and is the person who created Seo Jin-yong as he is today. Although Seo Jin-yong showed signs of shakiness when he was first appointed as a closer in 2017, Coach Hillman encouraged Seo Jin-yong, saying, “You must have confidence. If you have confidence in difficult situations, you will become a more consistent closer.”
Seo Jin-yong appeared in 69 games this season and became the league’s save king with 42 saves (5 wins, 4 losses) and an ERA of 2.59.
Seo Jin-yong announced his best start to the season by maintaining a scoreless streak of 20 consecutive games from the season opening until resigning to the Lotte Giants on May 21. Then, he was reborn as SSG’s ‘reliable man’ to the extent that he did not record a single blown save (failure to save) until he made his 30th save of the season against Sajik Lotte on August 5. In particular, Seo Jin-yong is the first player to make 30 saves without a blown save since 2006, when blown saves began to be counted.
Seo Jin-yong also surpassed the club’s record for most saves in a season (36 saves) set by Ha Jae-hoon (currently converted to batsman) in 2019.
Regarding this, Director Hillman also delivered a congratulatory message. The SSG club released Coach Hillman’s congratulatory video on the afternoon of the 20th through the club’s official SNS. In the video, Coach Hillman said, “I’m sending a message from Texas, USA. I remember when Jin-yong Seo started pitching as a closer when I was in Korea. I congratulate Landers on achieving the most saves in a single season and the most saves in the league this season. “I’m really proud of Seo Jin-yong,” he congratulated.메이저놀이터
He then expressed his affection, saying, “I knew Seo Jin-yong would do it. I always bless him and hope that his future career will be very long and successful. I love him and I miss him.”
Meanwhile, SSG will face off against NC Dinos in the semi-playoffs at its home stadium, SSG Landers Field in Incheon, starting on the 22nd to advance to the playoffs.