ethernetacademy.netHeroes rookie pitcher Kim Dong-kyu (19) was in tears after struggling with his pitches.
Kim Dong-kyu started for the Goyang Heroes against the KIA Future Team in the 2023 KBO Futures League at Hampyeong Stadium on April 18, but he suffered the bitter taste of defeat after giving up 10 runs on four hits (one home run) in 3.2 innings with seven walks and three strikeouts.
Kim didn’t have it easy in the first inning. He gave up leadoff singles to Kim Min-soo and Oh Sun-woo. He struck out Hwang Dae-in, but gave up an RBI double to Kim Seok-hwan and another run on a wild pitch while facing Jung Hae-won.
Kim got out of the second inning with no outs, but he was in trouble again in the third. He gave up a walk to Jang Si-hyun. He was then hit by a pitch to Kim Min-soo. He struck out Oh Sun-woo and Hwang Dae-in, but gave up a three-run homer to Kim Seok-hwan. Kim was hit by back-to-back long balls.
The crisis didn’t end there. Choi Soo-bin, the leadoff hitter, flied out to right field. However, he gave up a walk to Han Seung-hyuk, a single to Shin Bum-soo, and a walk to Jang Si-hyun to load the bases. Kim Min-soo came in to bat and gave up a single, but got one out. However, he gave up a walk to Oh Seon-woo to load the bases again, and a push single to Hwang Dae-in to keep the runs coming.
The Goyang bench opted to make a change, with Kim Dong-gyu going down and Jeong Yeon-je coming up, but they were unable to prevent the runners Kim left behind. Jung Yeon-jae hit a three-run double off Kim Seok-hwan to increase Kim Dong-gyu’s deficit to 10 runs. The Kia bats then scored two more runs on back-to-back hits by Jung and Choi, bringing the total to seven in the fourth inning.
The Kia bats continued to dominate, outscoring the Cats 16-2. Kim Seok-hwan was the star of the show, going 3-for-4 with six RBIs and four runs scored.
On the day, Kim threw 83 pitches, of which only 37 were strikes. 46 balls. He struggled with his pitches. He walked more batters than he hit.
Kim Dong-gyu, who started his professional career after being selected by the LG Twins with the 17th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 KBO Draft, came to Kiwoom with Lee Joo-hyung on March 29. After starting two games for the Futures, Kim made his Kiwoom debut and first start for the first team against his hometown team, LG, on March 13, but was charged with five runs on four hits (one home run) and three walks in two innings.먹튀검증
He then returned to the second team for his first game, where he was once again tasked with stabilizing his pitches. Kim’s record with the Futures is 3-6 with a 5.55 ERA, up from 4.00.
Kim Dong-gyu is being called the future of Kiwoom, so let’s see how he fares in his next appearance.