With a solid performance in his final preseason start on Tuesday, Doosan Bears right-hander Kim Dong-ju may have locked down a spot in the team’s rotation in the early part of the new season.
Kim held the Kiwoom Heroes to a run on five hits in five innings, as the Bears eked out a 2-1 victory at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. Kim walked four but struck out five, and induced two double play balls off the bat of former major league All-Star Addison Russell.
The Bears have three starting pitchers lined up, with Raul Alcantara, Choi Won-joon, and Gwak Been. With another starter, Dylan File, out for at least another month with a head injury, the Bears need to fill the two remaining spots in the rotation.
Manager Lee Seung-yuop had long identified Kim Dong-ju as one of the candidates, and the 21-year-old right-hander should get his share of chance to prove he belongs in the rotation.
Though this was only a preseason game, Kim threw five innings for the first time in his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career.
“This could have been my last opportunity to make an impression, and I am glad I pitched well today,” Kim said. “I fell behind in the count too often, and made life tough on myself. I have to address that in the regular season.
Kim threw 43 sliders, 26 four-seam fastballs and 18 forkballs. He said he’d like to be a bit more efficient with his pitches.
“I want to be able to throw more strikes with my first pitches,” he said. “I want to have better command with my breaking balls so I can throw them for strikes.”
The soft-spoken pitcher stared down hitters throughout Tuesday’s game. Kim said it was all by design.
“I want to have some sort of presence on the mound and try to look intimidating,” Kim said with a grin. “That way, I am better able to focus on each batter.”
As for his goal for the regular season, which begins Saturday, Kim said, “I want to be better than I was today.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency