“Nothing much changed before or after I went to Hangzhou.”
Not much, really. NC Dinos left-handed set-up man Kim Young-kyu, 23, struggled with a 7.20 ERA in six games in May, but then went 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 11 games in June, 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 10 games in July, 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 games in August, 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in eight games in September, and zero ERA in three games in four games in October.
It’s true that he hasn’t allowed a run since returning from the Asian Games. In four regular season games, he pitched one inning of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and no walks in Game 1 of the Wild Card Decider against the Doosan Bears and 3.2 innings of one-hit ball with one strikeout and two walks in Game 3 of the semifinals against the SSG Landers.
His performance in the wild-card decider was shaky, but he pitched three straight quality starts against SSG to keep NC in the playoffs. In any case, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last eight games. In the regular season, he had a 2-4 record in 63 games with 24 holds and a 3.06 ERA. Tied for third in holds with Kim Myung-shin (Doosan).
The young lefty ace of the Dinosaurs’ bullpen alongside Ryu Jin-wook. Had a career-high 72 games last year with a 2-7 record, 1 save, 13 holds and a 3.41 ERA, and has been even better this year. Ryu Jin-wook and Kim Young-gyu had a lot to do with NC’s third-place finish in the regular season, even though the team struggled on the mound in the regular season due to the collapse of the starting staff and the ups and downs of Lee Yong-chan.
According to baseball statistics site Statiz, Kim’s fastball is averaging 145 kilometers this season. That’s up slightly from 144.6 last year. His fastball combines a slider and a splitter. It’s dominant against lefties and righties alike. His pitches have been up and down in the past, but his batting average has dropped significantly between last year and this year. His BABIP was 0.242 last year and 0.205 this year. His OPS is also a career-high 0.586.
In addition to winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, he also fulfilled his military obligation. Originally, Koo Chang-mo was slated to start, but a forearm injury opened the door for Kim Young-gyu. His performance this season would have earned him a spot on the national team regardless of the Koo issue.안전놀이터
His only postseason experience was in Game 1 of the 2020 Korean Series. It’s practically a thousand years of fall baseball experience, and Young-gyu holds his own. He ended up earning semi-playoff MVP honors. “I pitched with confidence,” he says. You have to focus on one batter, one hitter. There’s no secret to performing well in big games. My brothers supported me. I didn’t expect to win the series MVP, but I’m really happy that the team won.”
“Nothing much has changed,” he said, but “I think winning the gold medal gave us a good feeling. After the Asian Games, the team is doing well, so we’re lucky to be here. I want to do my best in the playoffs, and I’m going to throw aggressively. I don’t think we’re a pushover.”