KT Wiz bullpen pitcher Kim Min-soo made a spectacular comeback.
Kim Min-soo was the third pitcher to appear in the game against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on June 26, after Lee Ji-sung and Jeon Won-joo. In the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead, back-to-back singles by Choi and a walk by Lee Jeon-joo loaded the bases. Kim Min-soo threw a fastball to Kim Tae-gun and induced a foul fly to the first baseman to end the threat.
Thanks to Kim Min-soo’s tough hold from the comeback game, KT won 4-1. The first pitch Kim threw that day was a 139 km/h fastball. It was not as fast as his average velocity last year (143.0 km/h), but it was still a powerful pitch.
Kim suffered a supraspinatus tendon injury in his right shoulder on March 21, and after about two months of rest and rehabilitation, he made his Futures League debut in late April. In total, Kim pitched six games in the Futures League, posting a 3.86 ERA in seven innings with six hits, five walks and one strikeout.
Kim was one of the best bullpen arms in the league last season. In 2022, Kim set career highs with a 5-4 record, 3 saves, 30 holds, a 1.90 ERA, and a 4.01 WAR in 76 games 메이저사이트.
Last year, Kim pitched 80.2 innings, the most of any bullpen pitcher, and was always available in crunch time for his team. In 2022, Kim’s batting average was .222, but he was even stronger in clutch situations (CL&L) with three runs or less after the seventh inning, at .209.
Most importantly, he was extremely potent with the bases loaded, going 1-for-14 with a .071 BABIP. In the game on the 26th, he also showed his strength with the bases loaded.
KT was one of the favorites to win the title before the season, but the injury bug plagued them and they fell to the bottom of the league. After a rough patch, KT has picked up the pace with a 6-4 record in its last 10 games and moved into a tie for ninth place on the 26th, with last year’s best bullpen pitcher Kim Min-soo back and healthy.
There are still 101 games left in the season. It will be interesting to see if Kim can replicate last year’s performance and lead KT’s surge.