The first base dugout at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the afternoon of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game between SSG and LG.
SSG closing pitcher Seo Jin-yong (31) 스포츠토토 attracted attention with his hair. Seo appeared in the dugout with a clean cut of his bushy hair. When a reporter asked him if he had cut his hair, he looked embarrassed and said, “Yes,” and hurried to the locker room.
“I was going to cut my hair, but the timing wasn’t right, and I didn’t cut it because we were going scoreless. It was actually frustrating. It’s nice to have a haircut. (It doesn’t really matter if my ERA is broken or not,” he said, adding, “I laughed when I got hit by a fly ball by Kim Min-seok. Lotte didn’t give me the points because I hit well, but because I was playing ball, ball, ball by myself.”
Seo took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning of Lotte’s away game against Sajik Stadium on April 21 with his team leading 6-2. Prior to that game, Seo had collected 16 saves in 20 games, and his ERA was zero. However, against Lotte, Seo gave up consecutive singles to Yoo Kang-nam, Ko Seung-min, and Park Seung-wook to load the bases before giving up a sacrifice fly to left field to Kim Min-seok. Jinyong Seo was able to hold on to the mound without allowing another run, and SSG held on for the win.
When asked about his streak of ‘0’ ERA being broken, Seo said, “It was going to happen anyway. I’m leading the league in saves, so I just need to keep pushing. If the team wins and I finish well behind the plate, that’s the best,” he said, adding, “Zero (0) is something that even a great pitcher can’t do, and I’m satisfied and proud that I did it for 20 games. I will continue to make saves in the future.”
On this day, SSG coach Kim Won-hyung was also pleased to see Seo Jin-yong, who has been a reliable backstop since the beginning of the season. He told the press before the game, “I was actually worried about Seo until the exhibition game. He was supposed to be the closer this season. I didn’t expect him to do so well,” he said, adding, “He has the biggest share in the team’s success this season.”