“Prove yourself”…Awakening of Lotte’s left-handed express, no longer expected

 It was a series of balls that were difficult to capture once the zero point was reached. Lotte Giants left-hander Kim Jin-wook (21) raised expectations by performing a perfect pitch in the final rehearsal ahead of the regular season. 

Kim Jin-wook took the mound as the team’s 안전놀이터6th pitcher in the final match against the KIA Tigers held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 28th and recorded a reverse pitch with 2 ⅔ innings, 1 hit, 1 strikeout and no run. In the last appearance of the exhibition game ahead of his regular season, he produced meaningful results and raised expectations again. 

On this day, in the final game of the demonstration game, Lotte did not have the starting resources to go out and had to hold a bullpen day. Kim Dong-woo, Jin Seung-hyeon, Lee Jin-ha, Moon Kyung-chan, and Kim Do-gyu took the mound as the 6th pitcher in the 7th inning. Kim Jin-wook’s appearance in the 1st team demonstration game was only 9 days after the LG match on the 19th. Prior to the game that day, he took the mound against Hanwha in the 2nd group practice game on the 24th and tuned his senses by recording 1 hit, 1 strikeout and no runs in 1 inning. 

Kim Jin-wook, who returned to the mound for the first team, started putting the ball into the strike zone, unlike before. He allowed 5 walks in the preceding 4 games and dedicated 3 walks in the match against LG on the 19th. He continued to suffer from chronic anxiety. 

He was assigned to the bullpen this year and was virtually the only left-handed bullpen pitcher in the first team. The team was able to wait for the day when they started the season in the first team and maximized their fastball. However, in the meantime, rookie left-hander Taeyeon began threatening Kim Jin-wook’s position by recording 7 exhibition games, 5 innings, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts and no runs. 

 The 1st overall prospect in the 2nd 1st round could not be a promising prospect forever. Coach Bae Young-soo said, “The first team is not a place to rebuild, but a place to prove it. You have to survive on your own.” He continued to preach the theory. He emphasizes that in the first team, you cannot just give prospects a chance. Kim Jin-wook was no exception. 

Kim Jin-wook said, “While looking for a balance in Sang-dong, I talked a lot with the coach for a short period of time. Even before going up to the mound today (28th), ‘You prove yourself. I heard that this is the place to prove it. Those words seem to have lifted my spirits.”

On this day, Kim Jin-wook’s pitching was perfect. The strike was properly placed. There was no control anxiety. In the 7th inning, lead batter Kim Seok-hwan was struck out, Lee Chang-jin was treated as a ground ball to second baseman, and Byeon Woo-hyuk was treated as a floating ball to left fielder. In the 8th inning, Ryu Ji-hyeok was grounded by second baseman, and Shin Beom-soo and Lee Woo-sung were caught by right fielder. The fastball curve and slider all went into the strike zone. He lost the ability to fight with others and fight with himself. He quickly solved the innings by catching up anyway. 

However, in the ninth inning, the third inning, he caught Kim Kyu-seong with a floating ball to left field, and Choi Jeong-yong got a heavy hit. He treated Hong Jong-pyo as a floating ball for center fielder, but allowed Kim Seok-hwan to throw the ball. As the number of pitches increased, he was somewhat shaken. After that, he was replaced by Shin Jung-rak, but Kim Jin-wook’s potential and his appearance in the first team were clear. His fastball, which he threw 21, topped out at 147 km. He used sliders (seven), curveballs (three) and changeups (one). He threw 33 balls and had 21 strikes. 

In any case, it was confirmed once again that Kim Jin-wook is not a pitcher who can easily attack when he throws a strike. Restraint and position no longer need verification. Only by performing the task of throwing strikes can you establish yourself as a regular member of the first team. 

He went in a direction for a while, but he awakened again ahead of the regular season. Will Kim Jin-wook be able to break the egg this year and spend the season leaping forward instead of staying only as a promising player?

 It was a series of balls that were difficult to capture once the zero point was reached. Lotte Giants left-hander Kim Jin-wook (21) raised expectations by performing a perfect pitch in the final rehearsal ahead of the regular season.  Kim Jin-wook took the mound as the team’s 안전놀이터6th pitcher in the final match against the KIA…