From the start of the game, he allowed a hit after 11 games. He even committed a throwing error by himself at the first and second bases with no outs in the fifth inning. There were several points that would have collapsed in the past, but they did not. Kim Jin-wook (23), left-hander of the Lotte Giants in the professional baseball league, is poised to display his potential as No. 1 player by banking on his improved mental and ball control. 스포츠토토

At a home game against the Hanwha Eagles of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on Sunday, Kim Jin-wook started the game and allowed six hits, one walk, three strikeouts and two runs (one earned run) during five ⅓ innings, leading Lotte to a 6-2 victory. In his second appearance of the season, Kim reported his first win, marking an ERA of 2.38. 

It was the result of overcoming several crises. From the beginning of the first inning, Hwang Young-mook, Hanwha's No. 1 hitter, relaxed by throwing as many as 11 pitches. He had consecutive strikes at one or two pitches to gain the upper hand count, but Hwang picked up two balls, and plagued them with as many as six foul cuts before making a critical hit. It was a moment of weakness for Kim Jin-wook, but he did not falter. He grounded out, struck out, and grounded out the next three batters, to end the inning. 

The crisis also came in the fifth inning, when the requirement for a starting win was at stake. With no outs and runners on the first and second bases, Hanwha Shim Woo-joon hit a surprise bunt on the first pitch. Kim Jin-wook, who caught the ball rolling in front of the pitcher, threw it to the first base but failed to make it back. In the meantime, Lee Jin-young, who went from the second base to the third base, homered, and first baseman Lee Jae-won also went all the way to the third base. It could have collapsed, but Kim Jin-wook was strong in his mentality. He struck out the next batter, Hwang Young-mook, with a slider after a game of seven pitches, and induced An Chi-hong to ground out to the shortstop with a second-highest fastball, ending the inning with a double play. 

Kim Jin-wook, who calmly overcame the two crises and had one out in the sixth inning, mixes curves (10) and change-ups (4), centering on maximum 146 km per hour, average 143 km fastballs (40) and sliders (38). Sharp fastballs and sliders gained power, but he performed corner walks on the right and left sides with stable ball control, resulting in mis-hitters and swings and misses. 

After the game, Kim Jin-wook said, "I'm glad that I reported my first win a little faster. I had some difficulties in the middle, but I was able to win my first game thanks to catcher Kang Nam's good lead," adding, "Gangnam always says that he needs to throw a ball that he is confident in to have no regrets even if he gets a hit. I threw with confidence in my fastballs and sliders." 

Kim Jin-wook, who sweated from the start of the first inning due to the 11-pitch match against Hwang Young-mook, said, "I lost all my energy because I cut too much. If you're going to get a hit, you should get a hit quickly, and if you're going to give a walk, you should get a hit quickly, but it was hard because the game didn't end. I threw a changeup that I don't usually throw to left-handed hitters, but they contacted me again." 

However, Kim Jin-wook, who survived without collapsing, said, "There were two situations with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, and I think I overcame them well. In such a situation, batters seem to be a little confused because they are controlling breaking balls. Kang Nam-hyung gave me a lot of signs on his body, so I was able to get over it well at an important moment." 

The key point is control of ball control. There were several balls that I was able to get out of my hands on the day, but I was able to boldly enter the game both because of my control. Kim Jin-wook's accurate ball control was rare as an overhander who had high strengths when he was drafted by Lotte as the No. 1 overall pick in the second round in the 2021 rookie draft. 

But when I came to the professional league, my control was shaken. During the first three years through 2023, he allowed 113 walks during 128 ⅔ innings, giving 8.3 earned runs per nine innings. Although he had the worst ball control, he reduced the number to 44 walks (4.7 per nine innings) in 84 ⅔ innings last year, but slightly reduced the number to five walks (4.0 per nine innings) in 11 ⅓ innings this year, although he has now played two games. 

ABS, which was introduced last year, is also one of the factors that helped stabilize the ball control. As a human being, umpires also ignored balls similar to strikes to pitchers who perceived their ball control to be poor. "I think it has some influence on ABS. There were many cases where strikes became balls when the opposing pitch was made, but I think it has become a little easier now," Kim Jin-wook said with a smile. 

The biggest change, however, was his mental strength. He has lost the game against the SSG in Munhak on April 26, his first appearance, but he started the game of quality by allowing four hits (one homer) and four walks, seven strikeouts and two runs in six innings. He is poised to finally unleash his potential as No. 1 overall, given that he has gained strength that does not collapse even in times of crisis. "I would be able to achieve better results with better content, but all I can do is always throw balls diligently. That is what I am thinking about," Kim said.