The Hanwha Eagles’ super talent is starting to emerge. Kim Seo-hyun, 20, the “160-kilometer fireballer,” roared last week, striking out two genius hitters. Now, he’s on his way to the top of the bullpen.
Kim made two highlight reels last week. He struck out both Kang Baek-ho (KT) and Kim Do-young (KIA), two of the KBO’s current “genius hitters,” to make a strong impression.
On March 31 against KT in Suwon. With the bases loaded and the score 10-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kim Seo-hyun faced Kang Baek-ho as the first batter. After his first-pitch slider hit the outside of the plate for a strike, Kim followed up with a second pitch that was low and away from the plate to induce a wild swing.
With a two-strike count in her favor, Kim opted for another slider. The slider curved low and away from center field, and Baek Ho Kang’s bat spun. After a full swing, Baekho Kang fell down at the plate, and Kim celebrated with a big glove slap.
After striking out Baekho Kang on three pitches with three sliders, Kim retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete a perfect 1 1/3 innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Oh Jae-il was fooled by Kim’s slider and struck out after a seven-pitch at-bat.
The next day against KT,
Kim came in with runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth and struck out Park Min-seok on a wild pitch to end the inning. Once again, his slider proved to be effective. He worked the count with a 1-2 outside slider and then followed it up with a five-pitch slider down in the zone to get the swinging strike.
He walked three straight batters in the bottom of the ninth inning and was pulled with the bases loaded, but there were no lingering effects. In his next start, against KIA in Daejeon on March 3, Kim pitched one inning of one-hit ball, striking out one and walking none. The highlight was striking out Kim Do-young with runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning, trailing 3-4.
After a two- to three-pitch slider for strikes and a foul ball to work the count in his favor, 카지노사이트 Kim chose a fastball for the deciding pitch. The 156-kilometer-per-hour fastball was down low and through the strike zone, leaving Kim frozen in place. It was a perfect pitch to turn around and head for the dugout. It was a pitch that was hard to hit.
The next batter, Choi Hyung-woo, induced a grounder to shortstop on a fastball, and Kim worked out of the jam without allowing a run. He lowered his season ERA to 1.53 and continued his growth.
The first overall pick in the first round of the KBO Rookie Draft last year,
Kim “Fireballer” Seo-hyun showed off his special talent in his first year by throwing a fastball up to 160.7 kilometers per hour on Trackman. He then suffered growing pains due to a sudden difficulty with his pitches, and this year he bounced between the first and second teams amid frequent pitching changes.
However, things started to change after Kim Kyung-moon took over in early June. Kim invited Kim Seo-hyun, who was in the second team, to Daejeon for a meal and revitalized the prospect’s self-esteem. “You think too much. At your age, you need to live simply,” he told her. After that, she fixed her pitching form in one piece, started double-kicking to prevent her body from leaning forward, and gradually got her pitching balance and control.
Since returning to the first team in July, he has gone 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 11 games. In 10⅔ innings, he has given up seven walks while striking out 11 and walking just two. He has been gradually working his way up the ladder by stepping up in tight, important situations, including picking up his first hold in his LG Electronics debut against Jamsil last month.
Since returning to the first team,
Kim has sought advice from foreign pitcher Ryan Weiss. “I play catch with Weiss, and we have similar arm throws, so I have a lot to learn from him. He’s a fastball pitcher with a good changeup. I’m trying to improve my two-seam changeup and slider.”
Weiss added, “Sometimes Kim asks me how he can throw better. “I tell her, ‘You have a good fastball, you have a good changeup. The most important thing is to believe in yourself as much as possible and throw with confidence.” “She’s been doing really well lately. If she believes in herself, she will do even better.”
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