"I'll be a perfect pitcher"...Kim Tae-hyun's debut match as a '1R special promising runner' who was praised for 'maximum 141km + 1 run in 2 innings'
"I'll be a perfect pitcher"...Kim Tae-hyun's debut match as a '1R special promising runner' who was praised for 'maximum 141km + 1 run in 2 innings'
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"I want to be evaluated as a perfect pitcher"
Lotte Giants' Kim Tae-hyun pitched in relief against the LG Twins in the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League exhibition game held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 10th and recorded 29 pitches, one hit, one walk, one strikeout and one run (non-earned) in two innings.
Lotte called out Kim Tae-hyun from Gwangju Jeil High School in the first round of the rookie draft in September last year. At the time, general manager Park Joon-hyuk said, "I judged that he is a player who can play professionally as a starting pitcher with good directions, changes in the angle and speed of curves, various pitches, and de-ception," adding, "I think the evaluation of left-handed pitchers will go up more and more in the current league, where the ratio of left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters is 1 to 1."
Kim played 103 ⅓ innings in 36 games during his high school years, posting 47 pitches with 140 strikeouts, 9 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 2.01, while Lotte also noted data that is not revealed as basic statistics. According to the "Trackman" data, Kim's average fastball speed was 141.8 kilometers, far exceeding the league average (138.3 kilometers), and his vertical movement was 53 centimeters, far exceeding the league average (47 centimeters). Considering these points, Lotte exercised its right to nominate Kim in the first round.
Kim Tae-hyun has accumulated experience as a professional player by wearing the Lotte jersey from last year's wrap-up camp, and has also been on the list of the first Tainan spring camp in Taiwan. "I received a report that Kim Tae-hyun is very good," said Kim Tae-hyung, who was about to depart for Taiwan. However, the process of holding the spring camp was not smooth. As he suffered from hamstring pain, he slowed down, which affected his speed.
Coach Kim Tae-hyung said in an interview with reporters ahead of the exhibition game opening on the 8th, "I think rookie Kim Tae-hyun has a very good management ability on the mound. However, he is not being restrained right now. I'm talking to pitcher coach Joo Hyung-kwang, and I'm thinking about whether I will prepare a little more and take him to the second division or take him to the first division." And Kim Tae-hyun, who did not appear in the game for two days from the 8th to the 9th, will make his debut on the 10th. 카지노사이트
As the coach mentioned, Kim had a maximum speed of 141 kilometers and 139 kilometers on average. However, Kim confidently threw balls as if he were a rookie even when his physical condition was not perfect. Taking the mound in the top of the seventh inning when his team was losing 2-7, Kim garnered his first out count by hitting a ground ball to the first base after a game with leadoff hitter Lee Young-bin in the fourth pitch. He then started with three outs, cooking Moon Jung-bin with a fly ball to the right field and Song Chan-ui with a fly ball to the left field.
Kim lost his first run in the eighth inning. He was hit on a 138-km fastball on the second pitch by leadoff hitter Oh Ji-hwan, and was in his first crisis as he got a double to right field. Afterwards, he gave Park a ground ball to the pitcher, who committed a wild pitch in his showdown with Kim, and allowed Oh Ji-hwan, a runner on second base, to score a run due to catcher Son Sung-bin's throwing error. Kim was also shaken up when he gave up a walk to Kim.
However, he had no additional runs. Kim cooked Park Hae-min with a ground ball to the third base with one out and a runner on the first base, and Kim struck out with a 140-km fastball after a six-pitch match, blocking one run (non-earned) for two innings.
After the game, Kim Tae-hyun said, "Before I took the mound, I made up my mind to trust myself and simply watch the catcher's meet. But when I went up, I was nervous because various situations happened. However, I think it was very helpful to experience today's situation early," expressing his feelings after his first appearance.
Kim explained that he slowed down the pace of preparation for the season a little due to hamstring pain, but has fully recovered his physical condition now. "I'm in fairly good physical condition. I'll try to make my body step by step so that I can throw better pitches," Kim said. "I want to gain more experience in the first team games during the year. And I want to be evaluated as a perfect pitcher Kim Tae-hyun."