We’ve been given a second chance, but we need to remove the question marks to survive. So far, there is more worry than excitement. Can Doosan Bears’ rookie pitcher Kim Yoo-sung allay his manager’s concerns?
Doosan sent pitchers Lee Byung-heon and Kim Ho-joon to the second team and called up pitchers Choi Ji-gang and Kim Yoo-seong to the first team before their home game against the SSG Landers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League was canceled due to rain on Sunday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
The bullpen was heavily utilized, but in the end, the ‘results’ were not good. Lee gave up runs in two consecutive games, first against the 스포츠토토 Suwon KT Wiz on the 21st and then against the Jamsil Samsung Lions on the 23rd, and was pulled from the mound after giving up a single walk on the 25th against Samsung Electronics. Kim Ho-joon has struggled in three games with the first team since his call-up on April 19, posting a 12.00 ERA in three innings.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop explained the decision to remove the two players from the roster, saying, “I think his control is a little bit of a problem, so I want him to go to the second team and catch (pitches) again,” and “Kim Ho-joon has had some experience in the first team, but I think he needs to go back down to the second team and get some more experience.”
Their replacements are Choi Ji-gang and Kim Yoo-seong, who were promoted to the first team just three weeks after being dropped to the second team.
Kim was called up on the 27th of last month after improving his game in the Futures League, and made his debut the next day against the Incheon SSG Landers. The result was uneventful, as he pitched one inning of two-hit ball, striking out one and walking none.
However, in a home game against the Hanwha Eagles on May 4, he struggled mightily, giving up three hits (two home runs) in one inning and striking out five batters. As a result, he was sent to the second team on May 5 against the LG Twins in Jamsil.
After being sent down to the second team, Kim was given a “starting lesson” by going long innings. In a home game against LG on the 13th, he pitched 4⅔ innings of 6 hits, 4 walks, and 1 run with 3 strikeouts, and on the 20th against the Icheon Lotte Giants, he pitched 5⅓ innings of 6 hits (1 home run), no walks, 6 strikeouts, and 4 runs. It was the first time since he started playing in the Futures League that he finished a game without giving up a run.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop said of Kim, “We prepared him as a starter (in the Futures). We have good players in the starting rotation (in the first team), so there is no place for him to start,” Lee said, adding, “We had a lot of bullpen attrition this week, so I think he will be used in the middle.”
However, just like before he was sent down to the second team, there are still concerns about his pitches. “I don’t think it’s perfect yet,” Lee said. I kept throwing him as a starter in the Futures League, but (his pitches) tend to come and go,” Lee said. “I heard that he’s good, so I’m going to try to give him a boost in the middle.”
According to Lee, Koo has already proven himself. From his professional debut against SSG, he threw a fastball that reached a maximum velocity of 149 km/h, and against Hanwha, his fastball reached a maximum velocity of 150 km/h. Ultimately, he needs a pitch to back up his fastball. Doosan is hoping that Kim Yoo-seong can solve their pitching woes, as their bullpen is in a tight spot.