There are two ‘Korean versions of Ohtani’ in Kiwoom?
3 innings, 2 hits, 3 runs (1 earned)
1 inning, 2 hits (2 home runs), 2 runs.
That’s the pitching record of Kiwoom’s two dual-hitting players, who pitched in a home game against KT Wiz in the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League 2023 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 13.
Kiwoom has two first-rounders who have been throwing fastballs in excess of 150 kilometers since their high school days and are also talented hitters. Jang Jae-young and Kim Gun-hee. Both players started the game and were disappointing.
Jang came on in relief of McKinney in the fifth inning, trailing 0-4. He gave up the first hitter, Alford, on a throwing error to the third baseman, but then struck out the next batter, Park Byung-ho, to continue his recent change of pitches. However, his pitches started to falter when Jang Sung-woo came to bat, and he was unable to overcome his control issues, walking Jang Sung-woo and giving up a wild pitch to Hwang Jae-gyun to put runners on first and third. Then, Hwang Jae-gyun’s infield grounder and Moon Sang-chul’s RBI single scored two runs.
Jang Jae-young had a tough fifth inning, but his pitches continued to struggle in the sixth. He walked the leadoff batter, Choi Jae-dae, and gave up back-to-back singles to Kim Min-hyuk and Kim Sang-soo. In the end, he threw 53 pitches and gave up three runs in three innings, a disappointing performance. His fastball touched 152kmph, but his 150kmph delivery was useless.
In the ninth inning, Kim Gun-hee took the mound and got off to a good start. She started by getting the leadoff hitter, Kang Baek-ho, to ground out to third base. However, she couldn’t get over the wall of Park Byung-ho. Park struck out in three straight at-bats without a hit, but he was in a different class. With a full count, he pulled a seven-pitch 145-kilometer fastball from Kim Gun-hee for a 120-meter solo home run over the left-center field fence. It was Kim’s first career home run, and he wiped the sweat off his face in a panic.
Kim, who was clearly flustered, threw a 143-kilometer fastball to the next batter, Kim Jun-tae, for a 115-meter solo home run over the right field fence. After the back-to-back home runs, Kim shook his head.
Both Jang and Kim are pitchers and hitters, much like Ohtani in cartoon baseball. Jang Jae-young has played as a hitter in the exhibition games, but after the start of the season, he has focused on pitching. He came out as a hitter because he wanted to regain his confidence as a pitcher through hitting.안전놀이터
Kim Gun-hee, on the other hand, is taking a serious approach to Idoryu. She has played a lot of games as both a pitcher and a hitter in the exhibition games and the Futures, and recently joined the first team as both a pitcher and a hitter. He has big ambitions to become a player like Ohtani in the future.
There are other players in the KBO who were called Idoryu in high school. Bong Joong-geun made it to the major leagues as a hitter but became a pitcher, while Choo Shin-soo and Lee Dae-ho set records as hitters in the United States, Japan, and Korea. Kang Baek-ho, who was considered a rival to Ohtani in high school, also became a hitter.
Idoryu’s path is a tough one. It’s hard enough to succeed as a pitcher or a hitter, but it’s nearly impossible to make a family name for both. As a pitcher or a hitter, it’s better to choose one and focus on it. If you chase both, you’ll miss out on both.