Kiwoom Heroes finishing pitcher Kim Jae-woong showed a perfect pitch to lead the team to victory.
In the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Hanwha Eagles match held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 2nd, Kim Jae-woong took the mound in the top of the 9th inning against the Hanwha Eagles 6-6 and recorded 3 strikeouts and no runs in 1 inning. Kim Jae-woong won his first relief victory of the season with his team’s 7-6 victory at the end of the 9th inning. Kiwoom was the 3rd player in KBO history to win all of the opening two consecutive games.
Kiwoom allowed a turnaround with 3 runs that started with an error in the top of the 8th inning when they were leading 4-3 that day. Kiwoom, who tied the score at 6-6 right away at the end of the 8th inning, desperately needed a good pitch from the bullpen in the 9th inning to win, but Kim Jae-woong played that role better than anyone else and brought the victory.
Kim Jae-woong got on the mound in the top of the 9th inning and struck out Noh Su-gwang on a swing. Then, Eun-won Jeong, who had been hit the previous day (1st), turned all 3 pitches into a swing and showed off the power of striking out 3 pitches. Even Noh Si-hwan, who was in good shape with 3 hits that day, came down the mound while striking out with a high fastball on the 3rd pitch.
On this day, Kim Jae-woong’s highest speed was 143 km. He is not one of the fastest closers. According to Stattis, his average fastball speed last year was 140.8 km. It is lower than last year’s league average velocity (144 km). Nevertheless, he contributed to Kiwoom’s postseason miracle with 3 wins, 2 losses, 27 holds, 13 saves, and an average ERA of 2.01, appearing in 65 games last year.
In particular, the double play in the third game of the playoffs gave goosebumps. Being able to prevent a tight game in the 9th inning even with a slow speed and the courage to throw oneself on a bunt ball in a safe 1st and 2nd base crisis all come from Kim Jae-woong’s thick guts. Kim Jae-woong had only two balls out of 12 pitches in the game on the 2nd. It is a strong heart that can attack the strike zone even in situations where it is not possible to concede.
Kim Jae-woong, who we met after the game on the 2nd, said, “I didn’t save all the opening 2 games, but I’m happy that the team won regardless. Saving is something I do when the situation arises, and I’m satisfied when the team can win.” 토토사이트
Regarding the secret to attacking the strike zone even in the game, Jaewoong Kim said, “If I tried to do better on the mound, it didn’t work out. seems to be,” he said.
Kim Jae-woong’s goal this year is to participate in as many games as last year and contribute to the team’s victory. He said, “I threw a lot of innings last year and tried to recover well during the offseason. I want to play in many games this year as well,” he said.