"Have you forgotten? Kim Jin-wook is a young player. Now is the time to wait while giving him a chance to gain experience."
This is what Lotte Giants coach Larry Sutton expressed about Kim Jin-wook's sluggish performance last year.
Is it a reward for the command tower's patience, or is it harmony brought about by unexpected rain? The potential of Kim Jin-wook, whom Lotte has been waiting for a long time, is bursting.
Even though he threw a good ball in the bullpen, he was busy playing 'ball ball ball ball' when he came up the mound. Strangely, his control did not go well, which rotted the hearts of the coaching staff and fans.
This year is different. On the 23rd, against the Changwon NC Dinos, 가상축구중계 Kim Jin-wook changed the atmosphere by pitching 6 times and pitching 2 scoreless innings following starter Park Se-woong. In the 6th inning, he calmly dealt with the pitcher’s floating ball that floated above his head, and in the 7th inning, after the lead batter walked, he quickly threw a sacrifice bunt to 2nd base, and his coolness in catching the preceding runner stood out. The beginning of the 9th inning was the beginning of Lotte's double play.
On the 20th, a KBO league match between Lotte and KIA was held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. Lotte Kim Jin-wook coming down the mound in the 7th inning. Busan = Reporter Jeongheon [email protected]/2023.04.20/
It is already a scoreless streak of 7 consecutive games since the opening. The Lotte bullpen, which suffered from a left-handed famine, also gained strength. At the beginning of the season, the starters, including the two foreign pitchers, are performing impressively while faltering. As Kim Jin-wook's performance as a long relief and bridge stands out, the back door leading to Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-jung also boasts a more iron-walled perfection.
The luck in the first game of this season turned into medicine. Kim Jin-wook made his first appearance against SSG Landers in Incheon on the 4th. However, with the score trailing 1-3, Kim Jin-wook allowed 3 walks and brought the bases loaded with 1 out. Fortunately, the game ended with a rain cold game.
After that, Kim Jin-wook became a different person. get more info The true nature of the 1st round of the 2nd round of the 2021 rookie draft began to be revealed. The value of being on the Tokyo Olympic team with only pitching without any outstanding results began to emerge in practice. The sluggishness that stayed with an average ERA of 6 points for two years seems to have become a step back in order to advance two steps forward. It is also rare to see him pouting his lips when the game is not going well.
Photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
Following the off-season finishing camp, he trained himself by going to Geelong Korea in the Australian League. It is Kim Jin-wook who trained hard to the extent that coaches Bae Young-soo and Kim Hyun-wook admired even in the spring camp that went through Guam and Okinawa. A more resilient body proves Kim Jin-wook's efforts.
He gave up only one hit while pitching 7 games and 9 innings. He still has his pitch, recording more than 1 per inning with 10 strikeouts. Only now, Kim Jin-wook's presence is shining.