Kiwoom An Woo-jin, considered the best pitcher in the KBO League, set a new record for strikeouts in the opening game with 12 strikeouts and no runs in 6 innings while holding a maximum of 159 km against Hanwha in the opening game.
Ahn Woo-jin’s friend and motive, Doosan Gwak-bin, pitched as a starting pitcher in the match against Jamsil NC on the 4th and pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 10. Kwak Bin, who showed off a pitch as powerful as Ahn Woo-jin, said, “I am a player I cannot match. He is doing it with the mindset to follow only half,” he said.
Kiwoom, who had the first pick in the Seoul area in the 2018 rookie draft, recruited An Woo-jin as the first pick, and Doosan, who was second in the Seoul area, nominated Kwak Bin as the first pick.
Kwak Bin played the first season of his debut in 2018 and underwent an elbow ligament joint surgery. He spent two years in rehabilitation from 2019 to 2020.
Kwak Bin, who joined the starting rotation in 2021 and played 21 games, began to stand out in the second half of last year with his excellent fastball and stable control. He recorded an average ERA of 4.43 with 3 wins and 7 losses in 16 games in the first half, but showed a marked change with an ERA of 2.98 with 5 wins and 2 losses in 11 games in the second half. 메이저사이트
In particular, during the two months of August and September, he made a big success with an average ERA of 2.29 with 5 wins and 1 loss in 8 games, with a fastball of up to 155 km and a curve as his main weapon. At the time, Doosan coach Kim Tae-hyung said, “He throws a fastball comparable to An Woo-jin. It is second only to Ahn Woo-jin as a domestic right-hander,” he praised Kwak Bin.
In the NC game on the 4th, Gwakbin showed a pitch that was as good as Ahn Woojin. He allowed 2 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings, with a WHIP of just 0.43. The number of strikeouts was 2 fewer than An Woo-jin, but it is lower than An Woo-jin’s WHIP of 1.17, who recorded 5 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings in the opening game.
When Kwak Bin mentioned An Woo-jin after the game, he said, “We keep in touch often. (Ahn) Woo Jin-yi is still a player I can’t get close to, so let’s follow him halfway and he’s doing it with that mindset,” he said humbly.