adminIt’s been 65 days since he took the mound for the first team. Even though the game was already heavily tilted in favor of the Doosan Bears, many Hanwha Eagles fans cheered, and expectations were high on the mound. However, Kim Seo-hyun’s (19) comeback was more disappointing than promising.
Kim entered as the team’s third pitcher in the top of the fourth inning of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League home game against Doosan at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Nov. 11 with the team trailing 0-7.
Expectations were low. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout in two innings and 61 pitches. It wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of the Doosan hitters, and it wasn’t enough to get anyone excited about his future on the mound.
After signing a right-handed pitcher with a fiery fastball that can reach up to 160 kilometers per hour, Hanwha had high hopes that he would be one of the pillars of the Hanwha mound alongside national team pitcher Moon Dong-ju, who successfully settled into the starting rotation after some trial and error last year, but when the lid was lifted, it was a disappointment.
In 18 games, Moon went winless with one save and a 5.60 ERA. He showed promise as a closer, but at some point his pitches showed a fatal weakness, turning him into a fastball pitcher who wasn’t a “special rookie” and not one of the more common ones in baseball history.
Eventually, after being expunged from the first team on June 8, Kim was given a starting lesson in the Futures (second) League. Manager Choi Won-ho said it’s helpful for young pitchers with great potential to get experience as a starter in order to throw a lot of pitches and experience different situations.
In six starts in the second team, Kim showed some promise, going 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA. Choi called up Kim Seo-hyun, who was originally scheduled to start on the ninth, but the game was canceled in the aftermath of the typhoon, and Kim waited in the wings to pitch after Han Seung-hyuk was pulled.
“First, we need to see the situation today and see how (Han) Seung-hyuk throws,” Choi said before the game, “and then we need to make a pitching schedule.” 스포츠토토
Han Seung-hyuk was shaky early in the game and was moved to the bullpen early on, but he didn’t put any pressure on Kim Seo-hyun with the bases loaded. In the top of the third inning, Lee Tae-yang took the mound and Hanwha was able to get out of the inning after giving up five runs.
With no pressure, Kim Seo-hyun took the mound. All she had to do was throw her pitches. However, his delivery was a problem. Against the first batter, Kim Jae-ho, his fastball didn’t work from the first pitch. A 151-kilometer-per-hour fastball sailed right into the left elbow of Kim, who was wearing protection. Kim bowed his head twice to make it clear that it wasn’t intentional.