“You have to pitch like Yang Hyun-jong and Kim Kwang-hyun to be called ‘ace’ and ‘big pitcher’.”
Kwak Bin (25-Dusan Bears) appeared in 30 games this season, going 15-9 with a 4.24 ERA, tied for the most wins with Won Tae-in (Samsung). With 167⅔ innings pitched, he reached the regulation innings mark for the first time in two years, and with no major injuries and a steady rotation, he had a season that will never be short of “ace.
On top of that, Doosan struggled this season with foreign pitchers due to poor performance and injuries. That’s why Kwak-Bin’s performance in the center of the starting lineup was invaluable. “I’m glad I finished the regular season without any injuries. It was tough, but I think it’s an experience and I want to take it to the next level,” he said.
Despite a year of solid results, Kwak said, “I don’t feel like I’m off the hook.”
Although he was consistently in the rotation, there were some big games in the middle.
Examples include July 12 against Samsung Electronics (3⅓ innings, 6 runs, 5 earned runs) and August 11 against SSG (2 innings, 6 runs). He also started Game 1 of the wild-card decider against KT Wiz, but had to leave the mound after giving up four runs in one inning.
“Sometimes I have one bad game after another. I don’t know why. In terms of the season, if I pitched well 20 times, I remember having 10 bad games,” he said.
In the wild card game, he was in good shape. 카지노사이트 “I think I threw about 30 pitches and it went by in five seconds,” Kwak said. I threw confidently because I did well against KT in the season, but I think I prepared well, including getting a strikeout and hitting KT short.” ”I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfill my promise to the fans. If I get the chance again, I will do well.”
Kwak Bin, who once again realized the difficulty of being consistent throughout a season and career, admired the accomplishments of Yang Hyun-jong (KIA) and Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG). Yang went 11-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 171⅓ innings pitched in 29 games this season. He became the first pitcher in the KBO to pitch 170 innings in 10 consecutive seasons. Kim Kwang-hyun also threw 162⅓ innings this season, his fourth consecutive season with at least 160 innings pitched.
He was also the team’s ace, going 12-10 with a 4.93 ERA in 31 games.
When asked about being an ‘ace,’ Kwak said, “I’m a pitcher who wants to be an ace, but I’m not an ace. It’s not easy to be a ‘big pitcher’ like Yang Hyun-jong and Kim Kwang-hyun. I thought it would be difficult, but I will try again step by step. I don’t want to rush it, but I want to show that I’m better than last year,” he said.
In order to reduce the ups and downs, I’m going to start ‘mentally strengthening’ in the off-season. He will start with his daily life. “Coach Lee Young-soo told me that I should think about good things in my personal life first, so I’m going to think a lot of good things in my daily life,” Kwak said, adding, ”I will aim to reduce my ups and downs next year.”
Kwak-bin is currently training at the Gocheok Sky Dome after being named to the Premier12 team’s training roster for the upcoming tournament in November. He is expected to play a key role in the Premier12 squad as he pitched well in last year’s Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) final against Japan, allowing one run on five hits (one home run) with six strikeouts and three walks in five innings. Moreover, with Won Tae-in (Samsung) suffering from shoulder soreness after pitching in Game 4 of the Korean Series, his place in the Premier12 is in doubt, making Kwak Bin’s performance as a solid starter crucial.
“I’ll focus on getting my body back in shape rather than making a big deal about it,” Kwak said.