There were many reasons why the director wanted to see it. Another interesting new pitcher has appeared in the ‘left-handed kingdom’ KIA. Left-handed sidearm Kwak Do-gyu (19) made his impressive debut through an exhibition game.
On the 13th, Kwak Do-gyu joined the first team ahead of the opening match of the exhibition game against Hanhwa in Daejeon. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk said, “I’ve been paying attention since last year’s Jeju finishing camp. Coincidentally, the report from the Futures team is good, so I plan to check it in an exhibition game.”
Kwak Do-gyu, a left-handed sidearm pitcher from Gongju High School, threw 39⅔ innings in 15 high school baseball games last year, recording 2 wins, 2 losses, an average ERA of 4.05, and 47 strikeouts. He did not receive much attention due to poor team performance, but showed potential by lowering the angle of his arm with a left-handed sidearm in his junior year. He was selected by KIA in a higher order than expected with a 42nd overall ranking in the 5th round.
Manager Kim Jong-guk said, “I am a left-handed sidearm pitcher, but I have good ball movement. He has a good pitching sense, game management ability, and pitch itself,” he said. After seeing him at the finishing camp, he had high expectations, but he was also curious about how he would do it, and he was called up to the first team because he thought he would do well.”
From the first day of the demonstration game, Kwak Do-gyu proved why coach Kim called him to the first team. Kwak Do-gyu, who took the mound in the 8th inning with a score of 1-6, climbed the mound wearing short sleeves despite the chilly weather. Even though his nomination was not high, his single-digit number 9 also drew attention.
Kwak Do-kyu, who handled fellow rookie Moon Hyun-bin as the first batter to land a fly ball to left field, threw Lee Won-seok for a ground ball to second base and Oh Seon-jin to a first base ground ball, lightly making a tripartite dish. 11 total pitches, 8 strikes and 3 balls. Offensive pitches that pierced the zone, such as catching first pitch strikes against all three batters, shone.
The type of pitch was simple with nine two-seam fastballs and two curveballs.먹튀검증 However, it was fast and powerful with a two-seam restraint of up to 147 km and an average of 145 km due to the difficult pitching form from the side with the left hand. As coach Kim said, the movement was good, so it was useful for inducing ground balls. It’s too early to evaluate with just one game, but it was an impressive debut.
The KIA has more left-handed pitching resources than any other team in the KBO League. There are starters Yang Hyeon-jong, Lee Eui-ri, relief Kim Ki-hoon, Lee Jun-young, Choi Ji-min, and even Kim Dae-yu, who joined as a free agent compensation player. In addition to newcomer Yoon Young-chul, who is competing as a candidate for the 5th selection, and Kwak Do-gyu, a sidearm, have emerged as new faces in the left-handed kingdom.