Kim Won-joong's fork ball makes Lotte come alive... The end of the ERA "0" in April is amazing!
Kim Won-joong's fork ball makes Lotte come alive... The end of the ERA "0" in April is amazing!
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On Apr. 20, Kim Won-joong, the "guardian god" of the Lotte Giants, was on the mound at Daegu Civic Baseball Stadium. It was an important moment to keep the 4-3 thin ice lead. The opponent was overwhelmed by the Samsung Lions' formidable offense in the bottom of the ninth inning, especially the third batter, Koo Ja-wook.
However, Kim Won-joong skillfully overcame the crisis. After a close full-count match, he pitched an exquisite forkball against Koo Ja-wook, inducing him to strike out. Then even No. 4 hitter Kang Min-ho struck out with an outer forkball, gaining momentum. Although he was on the verge of hitting Diaz and giving up a walk to Lee Chang-yong, he struck out Kim Heon-gon and secured the game.
Kim Won-joong made seven saves this season, and currently has two runs (one earned run), an ERA of 0.79 and 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings. Eight walks are regrettable, but it is impressive to overcome the crisis without a blon save with a more mature forkball.
At the beginning of the season, there were also concerns about Kim Won-joong. It was predicted that the pitching form with a long interval would not be able to adapt properly to the pitch clock. In fact, in March, he scored two runs in 3.2 innings, including one home run (against Herredia), causing anxiety.
In April, however, Kim dispelled such concerns and established himself as a solid finishing pitcher for Lotte. He is considered a key driving force behind his team's advancement as he has established a must-win team with Chung Cheol-won. Kim did not yield a single run in seven games he played in April, and posted six consecutive saves from April 3, tying for first in the save category along with Park Young-hyun of the kt Wiz.
Kim signed an FA contract with Lotte after the end of last season. The contract is worth up to 5.4 billion won (4.4 billion won) with the four-year guarantee plus 1 billion won (1 million dollars) in incentives. At the time, Jang Hyun-sik signed a contract with No Option at 5.2 billion won (4.1 million dollars), and Kim's contract size seemed relatively reasonable, but he expressed his loyalty to the team, saying, "I didn't think about any other team other than Lotte." 스포츠토토
Kim Won-joong joined Lotte as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2012 rookie draft. He played in 381 games and 675 innings over 10 seasons, recording 39-49 wins, 132 saves, 4 holds and an ERA of 5.08. Some say that he did not fully demonstrate his potential when he was a starting pitcher, but his skills are said to have been in full bloom since he changed his position to a closing pitcher.
In 2020, Kim Won-joong had a successful season with 25 saves as a starting closing pitcher. Since then, he has held firm to his team's back door, making 35 saves in 2021, 17 saves in 2022, and 30 saves in 2023. He continued his steady performance in the 2023 season, recording 3-6 losses, 25 saves, and an ERA of 3.55. He became the first player in Lotte's history to make 100 saves, and he is breaking the club's record for most saves with each save added.
Some predict that Kim Won-joong can achieve a career high beyond the 35 saves he recorded in 2021 this year. He has adapted to the pitch clock, added a sense of psychological stability after signing an FA contract, and above all, his main weapon, folk ball, has reached a point of maturity.
Lotte aims to advance to the baseball league in fall this season. Despite the crisis of its parent company, Lotte has renewed contracts with Reyes and Barnes, signed free agency contracts with Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min, and made massive trades to acquire Jeon Min-jae and Jeong Cheol-won. This year, in the second year of manager Kim Tae-hyung's appointment, if he fails to advance to autumn baseball, the meaning of recruiting "winning contractor" Kim Tae-hyung could be tarnished.
Kim Won-joong is one of many puzzles for Lotte to advance into fall baseball. Depending on his performance, Lotte's chances of entering fall baseball can vary greatly. Currently, Lotte is only a half-game away from second place with 13 wins and 11 losses, and Kim Won-joong's stable backdoor crackdown contributes greatly to the team's rise.
Kim Won-joong is aiming for victory with a sharp fork ball once again in the game against the Hanwha Eagles, who are ranked second in seven consecutive wins at Sajik home.