This season seemed to unfold differently for Lotte Giants left-hander Kim Jin-wook, 21.
He became a reliable left-handed bullpen arm who could get through an inning, sometimes more, with his pitches. He became a bridge between the eighth and ninth innings after the starters went down. He became a key resource on the mound for Lotte and began to showcase the potential of the No. 1 overall pick in the second round.
However, as June began, Kim began to falter. After a one-hit, two-strikeout shutout against LG Electronics on May 31, he failed to record a single out in his next three appearances. On May 3 against KIA, he faced only one batter and gave up a walk and one run. Against KIA on the 4th, he faced two batters and gave up two runs, both of which were earned, and against KT on the 6th, he faced two batters and gave up a hit. It was three consecutive 0-inning starts.
As the shaky performances continued, Lotte gave Kim some time to readjust. While he wasn’t struggling as much as he had in the past, his inability to close out innings could be a sign of physical and psychological issues. It was also a break from the relatively high number of appearances in the early and middle part of the season.
Ten days later, on the 17th, he was designated for assignment against the Incheon SSG. He was enrolled in the first team at the same time as Kim Sang-soo, who was also expunged. Coincidentally, during the period without Kim Jin-wook and Kim Sang-soo, the team continued to play tough games with four extra innings and accumulated more losses than wins. The bullpen was also getting tired. Kim Jin-wook and Kim Sang-soo needed to relieve the pressure.
On the 17th, they got their chance to start. After Park Se-woong’s seven innings of one-run ball, Kim entered the game in the eighth inning with a 5-1 lead. The Lotte bench was conscious of the left-handed lineup of Kim Min-sik and Choi Jun-woo. SSG had back-to-back right-handed batters.
In fact, Kim Jin-wook was a pitcher who came up regardless of left or right-handed batters. In fact, he had a lower BABIP and OPS against righties than lefties. While he had a 1.75 ERA and .583 OPS against righties, he had a 2.44 ERA and .685 OPS against lefties.
Upon his return, Kim unleashed a powerful fastball. Against pinch-hitter Kang Jin-sung, he unleashed a 147 mph fastball and worked a favorable one-ball, two-strike count. Kang’s bat was pushed back. However, five pitches later, a low 147-kilometer fastball was hit into the left field gap by Kang’s bat. It was an unavoidable situation. The pitch was in good shape, but the next batter, 토토사이트 Ahn Sang-hyun, also threw a 146-147km fastball and allowed a single up the middle. Again, with a favorable two-strike count, he drew a two-ball, two-strike walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. He then faltered against lefty Shin-Soo Choo. The slider didn’t get a good look, and he ended up giving up a ball that was hit to the body. Musa at the plate.
Lotte’s tragedy and nightmare began with the bases loaded. Koo Seung-min, Kim Won-joong, and other pitchers were unable to get out of the eighth inning, and Lotte fell behind 5-8. 메이저도메인
Kim Jin-wook was also responsible for three earned runs as all of the batters reached base. His season ERA soared from 2.82 to 4.03. Kim hasn’t pitched in 19 days in 22⅓ innings. Instead, he’s accumulating memories that he wants to wash away.