Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha Eagles) and Yoon Young-cheol (KIA Tigers) are complete newcomers who entered the 2023 KBO League in the first and second positions.
Kim Seo-hyun throws a fast ball that can travel over 150 km, and Yoon Young-cheol has a speed of 140 km, but his precise control is outstanding. These are the players who have already received attention since they were ranked #1 and #2 in the rankings since high school.
Kim Seo-hyun stood on the mound as the fifth reliever pitcher in the top of the 8th inning against Daejeon KIA on the 14th, falling behind 3-5. As coach Carlos Subero declared, he started the mound at the start of the inning to avoid burdening the new pitcher as much as possible.
The beginning was uneasy. Even though it was an exhibition game, was it because of the heavy burden of the first appearance in the official game? The first batter, Lee Woo-sung, started with a straight walk. Then, Woo-hyuk Byun got a right-handed hit on the first pitch and was driven to the 1st and 2nd bases without a hit.
Even then, Kim Seo-hyun threw two consecutive walks against Hwang Dae-in. In the end, catcher Park Sang-eon visited the mound and after talking with Kim Seo-hyun for a while, Hwang Dae-in was caught with a foul fly by first baseman. He struck out Ho-ryeong Kim in 6 pitches and was hit in the right calf by Joo Hyo-sang, but calmly caught the ball and connected it to 1st base, ending the inning with 18 balls and going down the mound.
1 inning, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, no run. On this day, Kim Seo-hyun showed a face-to-face game with a straight ball rather than a breaking ball. His fastball speed was overwhelming. The highest speed was 158 km and the average speed was 154 km. He got a passing grade once.
Yoon Young-chul, who watched Kim Seo-hyun take the mound in the dugout that day, started two days later in the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes game on the 16th
Yoon Young-cheol’s ball was not fast enough to be compared to Kim Seo-hyun’s. His fastball was about 140km. There was a difference of 18 km. Instead, his changeup, slider and curveball showed off his sophisticated control.
He faced two 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national teams in the first inning. In the case of lead batter Kim Hye-seong, he treated it as a ground ball to second base with two balls. Afterwards, he walked Edison Russell, the 4th hitter, and faced a crisis with 2 out 1st and 2nd base, but he struck out 5th pitcher Park Joo-hong on 4 pitches, and finished his debut first inning scoreless.
Yoon Young-chul, who threw 3 more innings afterwards, allowed Hyung-jong Lee to hit in the 3rd inning, but left the mound with 2 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and no runs while throwing only 60 pitches in 4 innings. In particular, the 7 strikeouts were enough to give manager Kim Jong-guk a deep belief that he is no inferior to him as a starting pitcher.
It may be a coincidence, but Kim Seo-Hyun and Yoon Young-Cheol are similar in that they both passed the crisis of 1st and 2nd base without conceding a run in the first inning.
If Kim Seo-hyun appeared as a bullpen and overcame the crisis with a fast and powerful fastball, Yoon Young-cheol overcame the crisis with a breaking ball at first and second base. Even in his crisis, he showed his ability to manage crises unbecoming a newbie with the courage to throw the ball.
In an interview with a media outlet when Kim Seo-hyun joined, he once expressed his strong aspirations that he wanted to achieve 50 saves.토토사이트 He revealed his desire to succeed by finishing rather than starting.
Compared to this, Yoon Young-chul showed clear competitiveness as a starter.
They are newcomers who can bring a new wind to the KBO league this season. Attention is focused on their future activities.