Order "Reduce your walks" → 'ERA 1.29-Perfect pitching of no outs,' Post Kim Kwang-hyun will erase his selection concerns
Order "Reduce your walks" → 'ERA 1.29-Perfect pitching of no outs,' Post Kim Kwang-hyun will erase his selection concerns
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The left-hander who was expected to succeed Kim Kwang-hyun (37) failed to blossom and was eventually used as a trade card. Was it because he had confidence in the replacement? A pitcher showing the sprout of post-Kim Kwang-hyun appeared in SSG Landers.메이저놀이터
Kim Gun-woo (23) pitched from the fifth inning after starting pitcher Park Jong-hoon (2 runs in 4 innings) in the 2025 KBO exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 14th, throwing 63 pitches in 4 innings and pitching 2 hits (one homer) with no outs, 5 strikeouts, and 1 run.
Following three scoreless innings against the Hanwha Eagles on the 10th, he gained the most advantage in the competition for the fifth starter.
Kim Gun-woo, who returned in September last year after undergoing elbow surgery after wearing a uniform for the SK Wyverns (SSG) as the first designation in 2021, was evaluated as one of the five starting candidates in the absence of Oh Won-seok (KT, 24), who left through trade.
Kim Gun-woo's growth is even more welcome for SSG as Kim Kwang-hyun is the only left-hander in the starting lineup. It is also a resource that can ease the regret of Oh Won-seok, who won 27 games in five seasons as the first nominee of 2020 but failed to burst his potential as expected.
In the first game, he made the coach smile with his strong pitching. "I was worried because I had no experience, but when I asked (after pitching), he said that I was a little nervous at first, but as I threw it, I was able to do it well. That's why I was able to pitch aggressively," Lee said. "The competition for starting pitchers has become more interesting."
Ahead of the game, he predicted Kim Gun-woo's appearance following Park Jong-hoon, asking for good propaganda, saying, "There is only one last chance left."
Kim Gun-woo, who had an aggressive pitch in the last Hanwha match, also played an active match against Kiwoom hitters on the same day. Kim Gun-woo, who struck out the first batter Jang Jae-young with a change-up, neatly blocked the first inning by turning Song Sung-moon and Kim Dong-heon into outfield flies.
He displayed aggressive performance even in favorable count and settled down easily in the sixth inning. Although he had a hit with two outs, he garnered a rookie strikeout with a fastball that hit Kwon Hyuk-bin. In the seventh inning, he induced Jeon to ground ball to the pitcher by thoroughly targeting his body, and then Kang Jin-seong and Jang Jae-young both swung and missed with high-course fastballs.
He was flawless. His game with Kim was also impressive. He boldly targeted the zone with only one ball up to the seventh pitch. Eventually, Kim Dong-heon's bat split into the air on the outside change-up.
He was hit by a fastball thrown to Kim Dong-yeop and hit a solo home run, but he finished the pitch on the day after turning his opponent Lee Yong-kyu into a catcher ground ball.
Like the last game, the maximum speed of the fastball was 147 kilometers per hour, and he overpowered Kiwoom batters with aggressive pitches by mixing fastballs and changeups for right-handed hitters and fastballs, sliders and curves for left-handed hitters.
What stood out the most was his aggression. "The fast pitching tempo helped me, and I thought a lot about fighting and winning against the batter," said Kim Geon-woo, whom I met after the game.
It is also encouraging that he did not falter after hitting the home run. "I was able to catch the last out count, but I lost a point with a home run, but since it was my mistake, I quickly admitted it and thought about who the next batter would be," he said. "It was a shame, but I don't think it's going to be negative at all because it was just a home run, not a walk."
Kim Gun-woo is disappointed after getting a home run from Kim Dong-yeop.
The habit of pitching aggressively according to the catcher's signature without giving too much thought is helping him adjust to the unfamiliar pitch clock. In addition, it is in line with Lee's request to reduce walks on the pitching staff. The fact that Lee did not yield a single walk in the two games means a lot.
Coach Kyung Heon-ho also gives compliments. "Coach Kim called it a great pitch. He said hitting a runner on a stack is a completely different pitch from hitting a solo home run," Kim said. "[Reducing the number of walks] is always a self-calling order. Rather than thinking that I should not give a walk, I am changing my mind to a faster game with batters."
SSG reported the results of its re-examination of Mitch White, a foreign pitcher who left the team due to a hamstring injury. "White's right hamstring area has recovered more than 80 percent," SSG said. "If there are no specific issues after the re-examination on the 24th, we will start pitching in the bullpen."
It is impossible to return in time for the opening game on the 22nd, but if it is as scheduled, it is expected that he will be able to return to the starting lineup around the middle of next month.
It is a great opportunity for Kim to appeal to himself. Compared to Park Jong-hoon (six earned runs in two games, six ⅓ in two games), Song Young-jin (three runs in three innings in one game), and Jeong Dong-yoon (five runs in three ⅓ in one game), Kim has displayed impressive performance and displayed impressive performance to the head coach.
If he settles in the starting rotation with Kim Kwang-hyun as a left-handed pitcher, he will be able to add diversity to the starting lineup. "I can pitch aggressively on my body regardless of the left and right hitters," Kim Gun-woo said. "I will continue to take this part because I think it will be very helpful if I start because I have a fast tempo."
However, the primary goal is to survive. "I think it would be great if we were in the opening rotation," Kim said. "The primary goal is to be in the entry list. After that, I will set my goal step by step to achieve good results."