“It took a long time to put the first button on, so I feel sorry for my parents and mixed feelings.”
On the 17th, in the match against Sajik SSG, Lotte won a great 15-4 victory as the batting line exploded. Missed the opportunity for extra points in the 6th and 7th innings and was chased by 2 points in the top of the 8th inning. However, only in the bottom of the 8th inning, he succeeded in scoring 9 runs with 9 hits and 1 walk and received a white flag surrender. It was the team’s most hits and most runs this year.
By the end of the 8th inning, the game was virtually over. In Lotte, finisher Kim Won-jung warmed up, but the gap widened and he was able to give him a break. The player who entered this position was as tall as Kim Won-jung, but a pitcher with an unfamiliar silhouette climbed the mound.
It was Kim Tae-wook (25), left-handed pitcher with uniform number 14. Kim Tae-wook climbed the mound in the ninth inning and treated Hyung-woo Cho with a fly ball to right field, Min-sik Kim with a fly ball to right field, and Joo-hwan Choi to fly ball to left field. He finished the game neatly, throwing 17 balls.
Sajik Stadium was already in an atmosphere of congratulations on a major win and series sweep. The beginning of the 9th inning, which Kim Tae-wook was in charge of, could not remain in anyone’s mind. However, Kim Tae-wook is different. Kim Tae-wook had no choice but to be wrapped up in complex and subtle emotions while enjoying the joy. Kim Tae-wook made his thrilling first-team debut that day and finished the game safely.
He was a player with a lot of curves. Kim Tae-wook, a left-handed pitcher with a height of 187cm and 88kg from Bukil High School, joined Hanwha as the first designated player in 2017. He was an up-and-comer who was in the limelight that much. However, he did not show as much as he was expected. He wasn’t immediately impressed, but his left-handed nature made him a resource worth developing.
In his first year as a pro, he refined his potential in the second team. He started 17 of 24 games and went 2-10 with a 6.38 earned run average with 1 hold. The following year, in 2018, he stayed only in the 2nd team and had an average ERA of 6.42 with 1 win, 3 losses and 1 hold in 17 games including 5 starts. He enlisted in the military without making any outstanding results. Kim Tae-wook, who was discharged in May 2020, was converted to a training player and was not given another chance. He even changed his name to Kim Tae-wook to change his fate. His former name was Kim Byeong-hyun.
Because the baseball senior of the same name was so outstanding, Kim Byung-hyun before the name change was always hidden. However, even after he changed his name to Kim Tae-wook, his career did not work out. His growth was slow and injuries came. Eventually, after the 2021 season, he received a notice of release. He never pitched in the first team.메이저사이트
He did not give up on his dream of extending his career. He quenched it while doing his personal training. And in May 2022, I was tested again at Hanwha. He wore the Hanwha uniform again, raising his speed from the early 140km to the maximum of 147km. The wandering seemed to end again like this, but in 2022, in the second group, he recorded an average ERA of 6.23 (12 ERA in 17⅓ innings) with 1 win and 1 hold in 10 games. A record that is still not exceptional.
Although brutal, Kim Tae-wook was released from Hanwha once again. Still, Kim Tae-wook did not let go of the ball and was waiting for his chance again at the independent league Paju Challengers. And as Lotte reached out again, he got his third chance.
Kim Tae-wook wore a Lotte uniform this year and left 22 games, 2 wins, 3 losses, 4 holds, and an average ERA of 3.66 (16 ERA in 39⅓ innings) in the 2nd team. He even came up to the first team for a while this year and helped with live batting in front of the first-team hitters. The official registration for the 1st group was on the 13th. He just didn’t have a chance to travel. As they won after close matches in every game, there was no opportunity to put Kim Tae-wook in. Then, on this day, the opportunity for his first-team debut finally came, and he finished scoreless in this opportunity. First baseman Jung Hoon handed the last out count to Kim Tae-wook. It is now possible to pack a commemorative ball before his debut.
It was his first team debut in 7 years, so he could not hide his emotional emotions while being thrilled. The ordeal was great and the dark tunnel was long, so I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Kim Tae-wook said, “It took me a long time to put on the first button, so I feel sorry for his parents and mixed feelings,” and first brought up the names of his parents who had supported him.
He then looked back on the moments before his debut, saying, “Coming down from the mound, it seems that the previous preparations have passed by.”
All the Lotte players congratulated Kim Tae-wook on his debut. He came to a new team, but knowing what he’s been through, he was sincere. He said, “When his seniors and younger brothers came down from the mound, they congratulated him a lot. He will not forget his gratitude and will make sure he becomes the player the team needs,” he said, firmly determined to help in more matches.
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