Jung Bong`s Lucky Fifth Win

Call him a lucky guy.

Talking about luck in the major leagues, no one can match Jung Bong, a rookie in the Atlanta Braves. Bong took the mound in the seventh as sixth pitcher for the Braves against the Texas Rangers, and shut out 1 2/3 innings, allowing no hits. On the record, he was the winning pitcher, and recorded his season’s fifth win. Whenever he took the mound, luck showed his shining face on his team.

Bong has thrown in 21 games so far. He won four of the five games where he took the mound when the game was tied. Coincidentally, four of his five wins came in games where he was sent in when tied. When he took the mound, the Braves’ batting ignited.

That happened, for example, against the Montreal Expos on April 16 and 18, the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 3, and the LA Dodgers on May 13.

That happened yet again yesterday, taking on the Texas Rangers. Jung Bong (5-0) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh after the Rangers tied it at 4 on a run-scoring double by Juan Gonzalez. Third baseman Vinny Castilla leaned into the stands to catch a foul popup, then Donnie Sadler flied out to center to end the inning. Then, he shut out three hitters in the eighth. The Braves then scored three in the bottom of the inning, giving him one more win.

Now he is at the top 15th in the National League. Scott Sullivan is the only NL reliever better than Bong. He now has a record six wins.

Luck, however, is not the only factor explaining Bong`s excellent record. For example, when the Braves were pushed up against the wall, manager Bobby Cox used to call in Bong, which means that Cox has built up considerable confidence in him. Bong, a southpaw, does not pitch that fast. Nonetheless, he throws quite a number of curveballs. In addition, his change-up at critical moments has become more and more sophisticated and threatening. Furthermore, as his nickname the ‘Vibrator’ indicates, he vibrates his right hand a lot while pitching, hiding his left land from the batters to the fullest extent.

Youngest among the Braves, Bong acts energetically and kindly to his teammates. The Braves now love him. Moreover, his excellent command of English facilitates and helps him maintain a good relationship with his teammates.

Bong is believed to have brought in luck for the Atlanta Braves, a team that is leading the whole NL.

On the other hand, Montreal Expo Sun-Woo Kim, who gave up six runs on eight hits, went back down to the minor leagues. On the other hand, Hee Choi of the Chicago Cubs was 2 for 4 against the Tampa Bay Devil Reds yesterday.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com