Kiwoom Kim Jae-woong returned the ball to home even after being hit by a batted ball.
Kiwoom Heroes coach Hong Won-ki gave generous praise to pitcher Kim Jae-woong’s fighting spirit, thinking of his juniors first.
Ahead of the Lotte Giants game held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 13th, Coach Hong praised Kim Jae-woong, saying, “Kim Jae-woong showed his fighting spirit with the desire to protect his younger brothers. I was really deeply moved.”
Kim Jae-woong came on the mound in relief in the 7th inning against Lotte the previous day with one out and bases loaded when the team was ahead 7-2.
At third base, there was a runner left behind by Kim Yun-ha, who pitched earlier, and at first and second base were runners sent out by Jeon Jun-pyo.
Kim Yun-ha and Jeon Jun-pyo are rookie pitchers who were selected in the first round alongside Kiwoom in the 2024 season rookie draft.
Kim Jae-woong was hit on the shin by the first batter Choi Hang’s bullet-like batted ball and fell down.
If he failed to get an out, he would allow the successor’s runner to score, which would raise his junior’s earned run average. In a situation where he endured the pain, he threw the ball home and caught the runner.
Only then did Jaewoong Kim collapse, and after receiving first aid from the team’s trainer, he got up again and continued pitching.
Kim Jae-woong guided pinch hitter Yoo Kang-nam to a fly ball in the infield, but gave up two runs due to the catcher’s catching error.
A walk was also allowed to Dong-hee Yoon, leaving the bases loaded, but Min-seok Kim was hit with a fly ball to left field, ending the long 7th inning.
As a result, neither Kim Yun-ha nor Jeon Jun-pyo allowed any earned runs, and the team won 9-4.
Coach Hong said, “The fighting spirit Kim Jae-woong showed seemed like a desire to prevent his juniors from being disadvantaged (earned points),” and added, “It gave us a glimpse of his mental strength to solve the problem until the end. It was an action for the team and the player.”
Kim Jae-woong, who enlisted in the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Sangmu) in June of this year, is continuing to perform well in the early part of the season.
He pitched in 6 games and earned 2 holds, and his ERA is 1.69.
Kim Jae-woong, who has appeared in two consecutive games recently, is scheduled to rest for today’s game.
Coach Hong said, “Fortunately, we avoided any major injuries, but on this day, three pitchers – Kim Jae-woong, Jeon Jun-pyo, and Joo Seung-woo – were removed from the roster.” 고스톱