Hanwha’s new pitcher Kim Gyu-yeon (21) is standing out as a new face in the bullpen at the end of the season. In Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho’s plan for next season, he is attracting attention as a sure-fire bullpen winner.
Kim Kyu-yeon recorded an inning of no runs in two consecutive games with impressive pitching in the game against LG held at Jamsil Stadium on the 23rd and 24th.
In the game on the 23rd, Kyu-yeon Kim took the mound against LG’s top batting order numbers 1-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning, trailing 1-3. When starter Sanchez performed poorly, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs in 3 innings, Hanwha quickly gave him a tough fight and brought in the bullpen one by one starting in the 4th inning. Lee Min-woo, Kim Beom-soo, Joo Hyun-sang, and Yoon Dae-kyung each pitched one inning without allowing a run, and it was Kim Gyu-yeon’s turn in the 8th inning.
Kim Kyu-yeon struck out the first batter, Hong Chang-gi, with a 134km forkball. The commentator praised, “The split was done perfectly.” Next, Shin Min-jae struck out a looking striker with a fastball 146 km outside and had perfect control over the border line.
Commentator Kim Seon-woo praised, “If Kim Gyu-yeon strikes out Kim Hyun-soo, the mood will go to Hanwha.” Kim Gyu-yeon struck out Kim Hyun-soo with a 135 km slider on a count of 2 balls and 2 strikes. Kim Hyun-soo turned around at the plate and smiled bitterly.
Hanwha lost 1-3 in the 9th inning, unable to capitalize on the bases loaded, 1 out, and 1st and 2nd base chances, but Kim Kyu-yeon’s KKK pitching was impressive.
Kim Gyu-yeon also appeared in the game on the 24th. In the 7th inning, when the game was tied 1-3, Lee Min-woo hit back-to-back home runs from Oh Ji-hwan and Kim Min-seong and was eliminated. Kim Kyu-yeon, who then took the mound, blocked the heated LG atmosphere with three consecutive hits.
Moon Seong-joo got out with a fly ball to left field on the 9th pitch with a 144km fastball at full count, and Park Hae-min got an out with a fly ball to left field with a 147km fastball on the first pitch. And pinch hitter Park Dong-won ended the inning with a 148km fastball to the shortstop.
Kim Gyu-yeon, who joined Hanwha in the second 8th round of the 2021 draft (72nd overall), was registered as an official player in 2022. He was given a chance in the first team at the beginning of last year’s season, appearing in 12 games and recording an ERA of 5.27. Since June, he has only played in three games, mostly playing in the second team.
He played in one game in June this year, and was called up again in early August, showing good performance in the bullpen. He recorded his first save in his debut against Kiwoom on the 8th. In the top of the 12th inning of overtime, Hanwha took a 6-5 lead with Williams’ solo home run. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Kim Gyu-yeon took the mound. He received a hit to right-center field from leadoff hitter Lee Joo-hyung, but struck out Kim Joo-hyung with a forkball.
The catcher’s throw of Dawson’s ground ball to first base resulted in a throwing error, resulting in a crisis with one out and first and second bases. In a critical situation, Kim Kyu-yeon guided Kim Si-ang to a 145km fastball, grounding the shortstop, and secured the victory with a double play that led to 2nd and 1st base.
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho mentioned training setup men on the 24th and did not leave out Kim Gyu-yeon’s name. Director Choi said, “These days, when (Jang) Si-hwan is not doing well, Gyu-yeon is helping him. We need to develop young pitchers with high velocity into the bullpen. “It’s not easy for setup man resources if they don’t have velocity,” he said.안전놀이터
Kyu-yeon Kim has a fastball in the upper 140 km/h range and a forkball that can induce swings as his main weapon is a breaking ball. Although he was drafted in the lower round, he pitched in 15 games and averaged 1 loss and 1 save. He has an earned run average of 3.95. He has not allowed a run in the last 6 consecutive games. After the save against Kiwoom, he pitched well against top teams competing for the top 5.