Lee Jae-hee (22), right-hander of the Samsung Lions, left good memories in the 1st Army ahead of his enlistment in the Armed Forces Sports Unit (Sangmu).
He faced the opening in the 2nd team, but took the opportunity to stand on the mound in the 1st team, and earned an average of 3.38 earned run average while pitching 8 innings with two appearances.
Lee Jae-hee, who we met on the 26th, said, “I can feel it now. I thought time was running out when I had about a month left, but after coming to the first team, time seems to go by very quickly. I hope time goes a little slower.”
It was on the 19th that Lee Jae-hee stepped on the first team stage this year.
Lee Jae-hee, who was nominated by Samsung as the 3rd overall pick in the 2nd first round in the 2021 rookie draft, pitched as a starter in 5 games in the 1st team in 2021, the first year of his joining, and recorded 1 loss without a win and an average ERA of 5.40.
However, he could not stand on the first team stage last year.
Lee Jae-hee, who had not been named in the opening entry even this year ahead of his enlistment, was called up to the first team on the 19th. As foreign pitcher Albert Suarez went to the United States for personal reasons, there was a gap in the starting lineup, and Lee Jae-hee was given an opportunity. At that time, the score Lee Jae-hee himself scored in the game was salty. Lee Jae-hee, who self-reported that he scored “about 40 points out of 100,” said, “I started as a starting pitcher, and it was regrettable that he could not fill 5 innings. Because of that, I think he should give less points.”
On the 19th, Lee Jae-hee, who started against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes and played against Kiwoom’s ace An Woo-jin, recorded 2 hits (1 home run), 4 strikeouts, 4 walks and 3 runs in 4 innings. With Lee Jae-hee doing his part to some extent, Samsung won 9-5 after a close match with Kiwoom.
However, the game on the 25th was canceled due to rain, and his last appearance before enlistment became a relief appearance.
Lee Jae-hee confessed, “Honestly, I wanted to pitch as a starter before enlisting, but it rained. It rained hard.”
Lee Jae-hee, who missed the starting pitching opportunity due to rain, came to the rescue against Daegu Doosan on the 27th. When starter Jang Pil-jun collapsed with 5 runs in 2 innings, Samsung pulled out the Lee Jae-hee card early. Lee Jae-hee blocked 4 scoreless innings and laid the foundation for a 7-6 come-from-behind victory.
Although his time in the first team before enlisting was brief, it was a motivating time.
Lee Jae-hee said, “I came to the 1st team after almost 2 years, and it was a motivation that did not come from the 2nd team. I heard it,” he said. 안전놀이터
Lee Jae-hee, who had heard from Choi Chae-heung, a senior who was about to be discharged in mid-June, that “a day at the managing director is about 28 hours,” laughed, saying, “I’m worried because the training center has a 30-hour day.”
Lee Jae-hee, who built up his motivation while playing in the first team, plans to concentrate on sports for what feels like a long time.
Lee Jae-hee said, “I want to increase my body by working hard on weight training. I plan to increase my muscle mass and aim to increase my weight by about 5 kg. I want to focus on increasing flexibility,” and “I will focus on increasing my speed.” .
After he’s discharged, he dreams of becoming a built-in starter, not a ‘replacement starter’ like he was this year.
Lee Jae-hee said, “After being discharged from the military, I want to be a starting pitcher, not a replacement starter. He will be a starting pitcher that will help the team.”
He continued, “I will throw a good ball so that the name ‘Lee Jae-hee’ comes to mind when I say ‘Samsung starting pitcher’.”