Kiwoom Heroes right-handed pitcher Kim Sun-ki (김선기) was a highly touted prospect who was selected in the second round of the 2018 KBO Draft by the Seattle Mariners.
While he hasn’t developed into the ace he was expected to be, he reached the milestone of 10 wins in the KBO on Feb. 2 against the Gocheok KT Wiz.
After shutting down the KT bats for six innings of three-hit ball with two walks and two strikeouts in a 3-0 victory, he turned his first win of the season into a valuable start.
“It feels much better to win a start than a relief win,” he said after the game, adding, “My goal was to pitch long innings. I’m glad I was able to go the distance and get the win.”
After splitting time between the mound and bullpen, he joined the starting rotation last month.
He suffered just two losses in his first two starts, but his aggressive pitching that doesn’t shy away from going toe-to-toe with batters has earned him the job for the rest of the season.
After winning his first start in 720 days against the Busan Lotte Giants on September 12, 2021, he said, “It’s been so long that I don’t remember my last start. I always try to throw hard and actively, so it’s a good result,” he said.
Kiwoom’s starting rotation, which had been touted as a “starter’s kingdom” until midseason, has been disrupted.
In addition to the injury to key beast Lee Jung-hoo, Choi Won-tae was traded to the LG Twins in late July, and Chung Chan-heon was lost to a back injury.
Prior to the game, it was revealed that ace Ahn Woo-jin had decided to undergo elbow ligament splicing surgery.
“We haven’t talked to each pitcher separately,” Kim said, “but we’ll play better if we pay attention to our own records and focus on our own tasks. I’m going to pitch long innings on the mound to gain a foothold for victory.”
Until the middle of this season, he was a bullpen pitcher, but he has been working on his running and lower body training in hopes of getting a chance to start someday.
“As a starting pitcher, it’s fun to study while battling with hitters. I will throw harder (as it is a hard-won opportunity),” he said. 토토사이트