“In the first team, you have to start from the bottom.”
Park Seung-ju (29-KIUM Heroes) had a spectacular debut.
Taking the mound in the seventh inning with an 8-1 lead behind starter Andy VanHecken, he pitched three innings of one-run ball to preserve the win. Park became the 26th pitcher in franchise history to earn a save in his first career start.
It’s a record that doesn’t come easy, but he didn’t get his next first-team start until 2017. Even after that, first-team opportunities didn’t come easily. After returning from military service, he appeared in five games in 2020 and only three in 2021.
Last year, Park began to be used in the first team. He made 27 appearances, the most since his debut, and tasted his first win.
This season, Park has been preparing for the first team by pitching in the Futures League as a closer. He received his first call-up on May 10 and appeared in two games, and after rebuilding his game in the Futures, he was ready for the first team at the start of August.
Erase an inning when the score is close or you’re losing. This was Park’s role in the Futures League as a closer.
It was different. His pitches were starting to stay in the strike zone and he was getting better at striking out batters. In nine games this season, he has a 1.86 ERA in 9⅔ innings.
Against Gocheok Lotte on April 20, rookie Oh Sang-won was the third pitcher after Ha Young-min (2⅔ innings) as the starter left the mound after just 1⅔ innings. He came on in the fifth inning, trailing 3-4, and pitched two scoreless innings, which allowed Kiwoom to extend his winning streak to three games as the bats came alive late in the game. Park’s fastball topped out at 145 kilometers per hour and he mixed in a slider.
Manager Hong Won-ki expressed his gratitude to Kiwoom, saying, “He’s been doing a great job as our closer, even in bad situations.”
“My preparation has been the same every year,” Park said. The power analysis told me that my fastball was good, so I tried to throw a lot of fastballs at the Futures. I practiced pitching to utilize my strengths and also tried to improve my weaknesses,” he said, revealing the secret to his recent success.먹튀검증
“I thought, ‘Don’t be afraid of what’s going to be a ball. “Before, I was nervous when the runners were out, but now I started thinking about getting them out by killing them,” he said.
Playing the role of a ‘wicketkeeper’ who doesn’t know when to leave. It’s hard work, but they’ve been preparing for it. Park Seung-joo said, “I was a closer in Futures, but I’m not a closer in the first team. I prepared the same way I would for the first team. I would tie my shoelaces first and warm up early.” “We have a lot of good pitchers on our team. We have a lot of good pitchers on the team, so I thought I had to prepare harder than anyone else.”
He continued, “We have a lot of pitchers who have done well in the first team before. It’s right to start from the bottom. We have to keep going and show our good form,” he emphasized.
“I didn’t want to be impatient, but I had a clear goal. “Win or lose, I think if I do the best I can in the situation I’m in, I’ll do well,” he said. “Later on, I’d like to be a set-up man for the team and contribute to the team’s victory with a lot of holds.
