바카라사이트“My wife cheered me on from the sidelines, so I was able to get back on the mound.”
He joined Doosan in the second round in 2006. Since then, the 35-year-old has had a tumultuous life that has included elbow injuries, releases and trades. Kia Tigers pitcher Kim Gun-guk throws his first start in a whopping 1479 days.
Day 1, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Jamsil Baseball Stadium is packed to capacity. The LG Twins were led by ace Adam Plutko, who was undefeated in 10 games before this game. The opposing pitcher took the mound for the first time this season after being tasked with ending KIA’s losing streak. It was Kim Gun-guk.
It had been 1479 days since Kim made a start for Jamsil LG Electronics (then part of Lotte) on 12 June 2019. In the top of the first inning, Kim got off to a fresh start with a first-pitch strike (145km) against leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki. After getting him to fly out to left field on the second pitch, he induced Moon Sung-ju to ground out to shortstop and Kim Hyun-soo to ground out to second base after a nine-pitch battle to end the first inning with a triple play.
The bottom of the second inning. With an 0-2 count in his favour, Austin threw four pitches in a row to load the bases. However, he struck out Oh Ji-hwan on a wild pitch, Park Dong-won on a grounder to first base and Moon Bo-kyung on a grounder to second base to continue his no-hitter.
Before the game, Kia manager Kim Jong-guk said, “It’s best if he throws more than five innings, and I want him to be in charge for about three innings,” adding, “Today’s game will be played with the concept of a bullpen day.” However, against his wishes, Kim failed to complete the third inning. After giving up a triple to leadoff hitter Park Hae-min to right-centre, he gave up a single to left to Shin Min-jae. After giving up a double to Shin Min-jae, Kim Geon-gook singled to right field to put Hong Chang-ki on second. Shin Min-jae then advanced to third on a grounder to second by Moon Sung-joo. Kim threw a straight ball to the next batter, Kim Hyun-soo, but that was as far as he would go. He handed the mound over to Kim Ki-hoon, leaving behind the mound he so desperately wanted to step on.
Kim’s performance on the day was 2⅔ innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 2 runs (2 earned). He threw 46 pitches. He threw a mix of 28 fastballs, nine sliders, five cutters, three curves, and one forkball, with his fastball topping out at 147 km/h. His slider also topped out at 140km. Behind Kim’s pitching, KIA scored five runs in the fourth inning to win 5-3. KIA snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 30 wins (1 tie, 37 losses) on the season.
A graduate of Hansecho (Western Little), Cheongnyangjoong, and Deoksu Information High School, Kim joined the Doosan Bears as the sixth pick of the 2006 second round. He was signed for 130 million won. He appeared in one game in 2007 and pitched 1 inning (2 hits, 1 walk, 1 run) before suffering an elbow injury and being released in 2008. He also failed to join the police baseball team and fulfilled his national defence obligations as a compulsory police officer. After his discharge, he joined the Goyang Wonders, an independent baseball team led by then-manager Kim Sung-geun, and in May 2013, he and three teammates headed to the NC Dinos. However, he didn’t get much of a chance, and after the 2013 season, he moved to the KT Wiz, led by then-manager Kim Jin-wook, through the second round of the draft. He changed his name from Kim Yong-seong to Kim Gun-guk before joining KT.
However, after failing to play a single game for KT, he donned a Lotte jersey in April 2017 in a 2:2 trade (Jang Si-hwan + Kim Gun-guk + Oh Tae-gon + Bae Je-seong). He then pitched in 87 games (131 innings, 66 earned runs) for Lotte over four seasons from 2018 to 2021, compiling a record of 7-5 with four saves. However, he was released by Lotte after the 2021 season and spent the past year without a team, until the Kia Tigers reached out to him. In January, the Tigers explained that he was “a resource that can be utilised as a middle reliever and to strengthen our depth”. And on this day, he greeted the fans by throwing his ball again.
After the game, Kim said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the mound for the first team, so I was nervous and excited. I prepared with as many positive thoughts as possible. I thought about the moments when I pitched well,” he said. “I focused on being aggressive when pitching. Before the game, my catcher Han Jun-soo told me that my fastball was good. In the game, I pitched with my fastball and it worked. When I was in the Future Team, I trained with coach Son Seung-rak to improve my fastball. However, I was disappointed that I was unable to keep my innings long.”
It was his wife who warmed his heart. “I wanted to play baseball so badly after taking a year off, and it was hard, but my wife, who was by my side, gave me a lot of strength, and I was able to stand on the mound again thanks to her support,” he said from the bottom of his heart. “I will continue to pitch aggressively and show the KIA fans a good performance,” he concluded, looking forward to his next pitch.