Welcome to KBO with 154km 1R rookie. I only aimed for Kim Young-woo's fastball because he said he liked it. The compensation player and the hit...
Mar 02, 2025
|
|
|
KT Wiz's Kim Min-hyuk led the team's victory with a two-run shot against LG Twins' rookie pitcher Kim Young-woo in the first round.
Kim Min-hyuk played as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh inning in a practice game against LG at Kinosa Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 2nd and hit a delightful home run in the top of the 9th inning of his second at-bat.
Jang Jin-hyuk, who came as a compensation player from Hanwha Eagles in the game, started as the seventh-left fielder first. After Jang Jin-hyuk played two at-bats, Kim Min-hyuk entered as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh inning. Kim Min-hyuk, who hit a ground ball in front of the second base against LG Sung Dong-hyun, met LG rookie Kim Young-woo in his second at-bat with one out and second base in the top of the ninth inning.
Kim Young-woo is a rookie who is expected to be a hit in LG this season. He was famous for spraying up to 156km of fastballs at the time of the designation, and recorded up to 151km in the first camp bullpen pitching in Arizona.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop picked Kim Young-woo as a temporary closing candidate as closer Jang Hyun-sik suffered an unexpected ankle injury and it became unclear whether he would join the opening game. I thought of him as a finisher in that he had a fast ball and a mature mentality that was not old.
And Kim Young-woo was put in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead in the first practice game against the KIA Tigers on February 27, and Kim Young-woo overpowered the KIA lineup with three outs with a fastball of up to 154km and made a save in his first appearance even if it was a practice game.
He continued to pitch well and clearly showed the fear of professional players to promising players with high fans' attention. He turned the second pitch hard in 1B, and the moment he hit it, a strong ball that could be felt as a home run flew to the right. The final two-run shot that the right fielder flew to the fence and eventually gave up.
It was the moment when LG's consecutive scoreless innings, which has continued since allowing one run in the bottom of the fifth inning against KIA on the 27th, ended with 20 innings.
After the game, Kim Min-hyuk said, "I knew Kim Young-woo's fastball was good. I was going to hit a fastball, and I wanted to solve my frustrating performance"As soon as I hit it, I felt it was a home run," he said.
Kim Min-hyuk said, "Both Australia and Okinawa campsites have been trained in warm environments, so I think they are in good condition. In particular, it was helpful to increase the proportion of batting training in Australia. "I am not conscious of hitting long balls just because I hit a home run. If you hit without being conscious of the result, you will get a long shot and it will lead to good results. I want to help the team this year without any injuries"
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
