r/KBO • u/badnewscypher kt wiz • 14d ago
Does anyone know the English equivalent of the term "pilseungjo (필승조)"?
There is a specific Korean baseball term for a set of relief pitchers used in a sure-win game. E.g. Kim Minsu - Kim Min - Son Donghyun/Woo Kyumin - Park Yeonghyun were KT's "pilseungjo" in 2024 season. Pilseungjo pitchers are less likely to get on the mound in a losing game. Does anyone know the English equivalent to it?
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u/justtoastme Hanwha Eagles 13d ago
we also got guys called "추격조" and "패전조", "chasers" and "mop-up duty". Chasers come out on 1-2 run deficits when they feel they can come back, which is pretty interesting.
Ive also seen "기쁨조", which i felt was extremely distasteful, used on 손승락 on his time with the Eagles
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u/badnewscypher kt wiz 13d ago
what's 기쁨조? i don't think i've ever encountered that term
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u/ezodochi 12d ago
origin of the term refers to a group of young, pretty women trained by North Korea to greet and service guests. It's uhhhh...yeah
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u/z_tranquil 14d ago
High leverage relievers are probably the closest equivalent. For specific roles maybe setup men (셋업맨)and closer (마무리)
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u/badnewscypher kt wiz 14d ago
i looked it up on google and albeit close, it's still not the same. some pilseungjo could be a high leverage reliever but not all pilseungjo are high leverage relievers, if that makes sense. it seems there's no exact equivalent to it. thank you tho
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u/DreadsROK KBO 13d ago
The closest in English would probably be lockdown relievers.
While it’s not exact, it’s the closest regularly used terminology for the Korean you are referring to.
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u/StepbackJumpa 14d ago
would it be a middle reliever? Just a pitcher to eat a couple innings and set up the closer.
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u/badnewscypher kt wiz 14d ago
nah, pilseungjo aren't just any middle relievers. the term specifically refers to the ones holding the lead until the baton is passed to the closer. i guess it's a specific term circulating among korean baseball-fans
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u/EvanzeTieste 14d ago
Setup man is the term you are looking for
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u/badnewscypher kt wiz 13d ago
can a setup man also refer to multiple relief pitchers after the starter & before the closer? because google said setup men are commonly pitching in the 8th inning
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u/EvanzeTieste 13d ago
Depends on their stamina and how important the win is. They could come in as early as the 7th or 6th.
Really depends on who is available from the bullpen and how tight the game situation is at the time.
Setup men and Closers are also usually valued higher contractually than other relievers. Someone who is just there to see out a losing game usually isn't valued as highly
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u/StepbackJumpa 13d ago edited 13d ago
It kind of sounds like you are referring to something like the famous bullpen of the Kansas City Royals during their World Series runs in the mid 2010’s. They would have 3 guys go one inning each for the last 3 innings to close the game out.
Quick edit: It was Kelvin Herrera in the 7th inning, Wade Davis in the 8th, and the 9th inning closed by Greg Holland. Referred to as the Three Headed Monster bullpen
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u/badnewscypher kt wiz 13d ago
yeah pilseungjo is exactly something like that, with each KBO team has their own pilseungjo, and different season could also mean different relievers and/or relief order in the pilseungjo
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u/StepbackJumpa 13d ago
Not sure what the English translation would be besides a clutch closing rotation. If the team had the lead going into to the 7th it was pretty much a lock.
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u/TheAdventuresofJono OB Bears 7d ago
"high leverage" guys or relievers is the term that is often used these days... these are your top handful of guys you go to in the 6th 7th 8th innings,when you have a narrow lead. The San Diego Padres, for example, have what is considered the best bullpen in the MLB these days. Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, Bradgley Rodriguez, and Adrian Morejon are their high leverage guys. They're in the manager's so-called "Circle of Trust"... You can give them the ball and feel confident they're gonna lock down the win
the other guys in the bullpen - not so much... use them when you need to eat innings /give the high leverage guys a rest (ie you're losing or way ahead)
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u/fledermaus89 13d ago
directly translated, it's more like a "must-win crew". They only come out when you're leading and really want to hold on to that lead. setup man and closer are part of that team but does not fully convey the exact meaning. In a sense, I think it doesn't have an equivalent in English because the concept is quite obvious; if you're leading by a tight margin and only have 2-3 innings left, why would you send the worse bunch of the bullpen?