Even Lee Jung-hoo is a pitcher who can’t move, that’s why he can’t trade “KBO’s best pitch”

[OSEN=이상학 기자] Lee Jung-hoo (24, Kiwoom), who is a trend in the KBO league and has the highest batting average (.341), has a difficult time with pitchers. In front of Hanwha left-handed fireballer Kim Bum-soo (27), Lee Jung-hoo also gets smaller.

Lee Jung-hoo fought Kim Beom-soo twice in the match against Gocheok Hanwha on the 1st and 3rd, but was out with a ground ball at second base and a floating ball in left field, respectively. In the game on the 3rd, the quality of the batted ball was good with a line drive, but he was caught by Hanwha left fielder Kwon Kwang-min.

As a result, Lee Jeong-hoo’s batting average fell to 14.4-3-ri with 3 hits in 21 at-bats in his career confrontation with Kim Beom-soo. He has walked two and one ball fit, but has also struck out three. Jung-hoo Lee is the only pitcher with a batting average of 10% out of 39 pitchers who have faced 20 or more at bats in the KBO League. If it was expanded to less than 20 at-bats, it was thoroughly blocked by left-handed Brooks Rayleigh (Tampa Bay), who played for Lotte, with no hits in 15 at-bats.

Kim Bum-soo had such a powerful ball that even the world’s Lee Jeong-hoo couldn’t move. He throws an average 148km fast ball, the fastest among left-handed pitchers in the KBO league this season. His top speed is 153 km. He began to unleash the potential of a left-handed fireballer who would take him to Hell.

Kim Bum-soo, who threw 35 innings in 39 games this season, is 3-4, with a 15-hold ERA of 4.11. At the beginning of the season, he showed ups and downs, but starting with the Daejeon Lotte match on May 13th, he has held 10 holds in the last 22 games, and it is more powerful as he goes to a 1.37 ERA with 4 runs (3 earned) in 19⅔ innings.

Kim Bum-soo, who joined Hanwha through the first round of nomination in 2015, has consistently received opportunities between selection and salvation. He suffered a long growing pain due to a hip injury and lack of control, but he had a very attractive ball, and many clubs coveted Kim Bum-soo. Each team negotiating a trade with Hanwha picked up Kim Bum-soo as a card.

However, Hanwha nailed Kim Bum-soo as a non-tradeable resource. It took a while, but from the second half of last year, the potential began to explode in the full faith of coach Carlos Subero. Director Sue Vero said, “From the first time I saw Kim Bum-soo last year, I never doubted his talent. He had a process of processing his talents with Jose Rosado and pitching coach Lee Dong-geol, and Kim Beom-su is also adapting well. As he has gained confidence in himself, he is getting better not only with fastballs but also with changing balls such as sliders and curves.”

The slider, which used to only be thrown against left-handed hitters, is now being used against right-handed hitters, and he’s even started mixing slow curveballs. Kim Bum-soo said, “I try to throw it near the zone, whether it’s a fastball or a change ball, so the results are good. He throws the slider outside the right-handed hitter and uses it wide left and right. He said, “I didn’t use the curve well because it was originally stuck in the ground, but now I’m throwing it with confidence whether it’s sticking or not.”

There were a lot of multi-innings last year, but this year, I limited it to one inning as much as possible, and the moment’s immersion increased. Kim Bum-soo, who said, “I draw out the maximum mental strength and concentrate,” said, “My goal was 15 holds before the season. If we succeed at 15, we will increase it further.” Kim Bum-soo, who won the 15th hold in the match against Kiwoom on the 1st, is close to the 16th hold in a season recorded by Park Jeong-jin in 2011, the most in Hanwha team history.

/waw@osen.co.kr