Special high school rookie Kim Seo-hyun (19-Hanwha) will finally take the mound for the first team.

Kim will start against KT at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 10th. Originally, it was Jang Min-jae’s turn in the starting rotation. However, Jang Min-jae was removed from the first team roster after a poor performance in his two late-season starts, going 2-2 with an 11.81 ERA. Hanwha head coach Choi Won-ho saw Kim Seo-hyun as the right man to fill the gap in the starting rotation left by Jang Min-jae’s absence. “There are many players who are training for the second team, but I received reports that Kim Seo-hyun is in the best condition,” Choi said earlier.메이저사이트

A hard-throwing pitcher with a fastball that reaches speeds of more than mid-150 kilometres per hour, Kim is a highly touted prospect who joined Hanwha as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 KBO League Rookie Draft. Although it’s early in the season, he has already fulfilled his potential as a top of the bullpen for Hanwha since his rookie year. Kim, who has expressed his ambition to become a top ‘closer’ since his debut, pitched the final inning of Hanwha’s game against SSG on 12 May and earned his first career save.

However, as the season progressed, Kim’s fastball struggled. In particular, he struggled in four games in June, giving up five runs on three hits and seven walks in 2.2 innings with a 16.88 ERA. He spent time in the second team, including a scoreless outing against Doosan on 7 June, when he was pulled after giving up two runs in just 0.1 innings. During his time in the second team, Kim focused on finding his best arm angle with the guidance of Futures League starting pitching coach Kim Sung-gap. In the first team, Seo-hyun Kim has been practising ‘anomalous pitching’, which involves using a different arm angle when throwing the ball.

Kim has also been working on increasing her pitch count as a starting pitcher. On the 6th of last month, Kim started a Futures League game against Goyang and threw 97 pitches in 5.2 innings for the win. While it will be difficult for him to throw close to 100 pitches immediately after being called up to the first team, it is clear that he has improved his skills and conditioning as a starting pitcher.

If Kim settles into the starting rotation, it will boost Hanwha’s starting line-up, which is weak in the fourth and fifth spots. Add to that the fact that homegrown ace Moon Dong-ju, who was selected for the baseball team, will be away for the Hangzhou Asian Games (1-7 October). Kim Seo-hyun’s eagerly anticipated debut for the team and fans alike has one twist. Due to the impact of Typhoon Kanun, there is rain forecast for Suwon on the day of the match. As a result of the rain cancellation, Kim Seo-hyun’s start could be rescheduled.