Canadian slugger trying to treat KBO postseason debut ‘same as every other game’

After appearing in 38 regular-season games as a midseason signing for the Doosan Bears, outfielder Jared Young was scheduled to make his postseason debut in Seoul on Wednesday evening. Young, who put up a robust .326/.420/.660 line with 10 homers and 39 RBIs, said he will not change his approach one bit just because stakes are higher this time of year. In this file photo from Sept. 24, 2024, Jared Young of the Doosan Bears watches his two-run home run against the NC Dinos during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) In this file photo from Sept. 24, 2024, Jared Young of the Doosan Bears watches his two-run home run against the NC Dinos during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) "It's the reason you play all the regular-season games: to get to the postseason and have a chance of winning it all," the Canadian slugger told reporters before the Bears hosted the KT Wiz in a wild card game at J amsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "There's no need to put extra pressure. It's just the same as every game. We just create a game plan, and you go out there and play the same as every other game." If Young can hit as well as he did during the regular season, the Bears would be ecstatic. He was a productive RBI man since first joining the team on July 30. After a bout of a cold earlier in September, Young finished the regular season batting 10-for-28 with nine RBIs in his final seven games. "I think the big players have to play well in the big games, and that's kind of what the postseason comes down to," he said. "I think the players that are focused and treat every moment in these games the same as they have throughout the whole year will be the ones that are most successful." Young's Canadian teammate, pitcher Jordan Balazovic, will have to tweak his approach to the postseason. After starting 11 of his 12 regular-season games, Balazovic had been told he will be the first man out of the bullpen in the early going of the postseason. The Bears are hoping Balazovic's hard fastballs can play better in shorter outings. In this file photo from Sept. 22, 2024, Doosan Bears starter Jordan Balazovic pitches against the LG Twins during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) In this file photo from Sept. 22, 2024, Doosan Bears starter Jordan Balazovic pitches against the LG Twins during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) "I guess it depends too on the situation and the game," Balazovic told Yonhap News Agency, when asked about how he will be deployed. "For right now, it's the bullpen, and we'll see what happens if we continue to advance." Balazovic is no stranger to relief work. Before joining the Bears in July, the right-hander had made 23 appearances out of the bullpen for the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and 19 relief outings for the same club in 2023. "It's not a huge adjustment, and I 've done both roles this year. It's just different getting your body ready and what you need in a shorter period of time," Balazovic said. "As a starter facing a guy three times as opposed to maybe facing him once, it's a different way of attacking him. So just a little adjustment, but it's not a huge, huge difference, which is nice." Source: Yonhap News Agency