“Pitching aggressively.”
Kim Yoo-shin (KIA Tigers) has pitched in 18 games this season, going 1-0 with two holds, 21 innings pitched, four runs (four earned), a 1.71 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP (walks allowed per nine innings).
Kim was first called up to the first team on May 26 and went straight to the mound. He pitched three innings against the Gwangju LG Twins, allowing one run (one earned) on three hits (one home run) and one walk. He then went on to pitch eight consecutive scoreless innings.
However, he started to falter on June 21 against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles. He gave up two runs (two earned), one hit, and two walks in two innings. He followed that up with one inning of one run (one earned), three hits, and one walk against the Gwangju KT Wiz on June 23 and ⅓ inning of two hits and two walks against the Gwangju Kiwoom Heroes on June 28. Eventually, he was removed from the first team roster and finished the first half of the season with a 12-1 record, one hold, 13⅓ innings pitched, four runs (four earned), nine strikeouts, three walks, a 2.70 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.
Kim returned to the first team on July 21 and showed improvement early in the second half. On July 27, he made a comeback appearance against the Changwon NC Dinos, throwing 1⅓ innings of scoreless baseball with one strikeout. He didn’t make a start in July, but has been pitching well out of the bullpen since early August.
In five games in August, Kim has pitched 6⅓ innings without allowing an earned run with two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. His WHIP is 0.63. On August 9, he pitched two innings against the Gwangju LG, allowing two walks but holding the bases loaded. His second-half performance lowered his WHIP from 1.73 to 1.29. 메이저사이트
Manager Kim Jong-kook commented on Kim’s performance on Tuesday, saying, “(Kim) Yoo-shin went to the second team, and before that, he was a little afraid of getting hit. He had a lot of strikeouts because he was having trouble keeping his pitches in the strike zone. He had a lot of strikeouts because he was having trouble throwing inside the strike zone.”
“Now, he’s pitching aggressively. In Yoo-Shin’s case, his command needs to be more stable, but he seems to be finding it,” he said. “His fastball is more stable than before and his confidence has increased.”
Kim was selected by KIA with the sixth overall pick in the second round of the 2018 KBO Rookie Draft. After his first season, he completed his military service with the Sangmu. After leaving the military, he had disappointing results in 2021 with a 7.62 ERA and 1.80 WHIP and 2022 with a 6.14 ERA and 1.71 WHIP, but this season, he has a 1.71 ERA and 1.29 WHIP and is developing into a future bullpen resource for KIA.