Professional baseball player 최승용 (24) of Doosan Bears achieved his first quality start of the season (6 innings, 3 earned runs or less), leading the team to break a two-game losing streak.

On the 2nd, 최승용 started the game against 키움 히어로즈 in the '2025 신한은행 SOL Bank KBO리그' at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, recording 6 innings, 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.

After catching lead-off hitter 야시엘 푸이그 with a fly ball to center field in the first inning, 최승용 issued a walk to 이주형 but recorded an out against 루벤 카디네스 with a fly ball to left field and struck out 송성문. In the second inning, he retired the 키움 lower order of 최주환, 전태현, and 어준서 in order.

In the third inning, after Doosan took a 1-0 lead, 최승용 allowed a double to lead-off hitter 김재현. 양현종 recorded a strikeout but issued a walk to 푸이그, then allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to 이주형. Facing continued pressure with 카디네스's infield hit, he managed to retire 송성문 and 최주환 to finish the inning.

After allowing the lead change, 최승용 refocused and continued pitching. In the fourth, he struck out all three 키움 batters: 전태현, 어준서, and 김재현. In the fifth inning, when Doosan tied the game at 3-3, he also retired 양현종, 푸이그, and 이주형 in order.

In the sixth, after retiring 10 consecutive batters until there were two outs, 최승용 allowed a hit to 최주환. However, he struck out 전태현 to finish the sixth without much trouble. In the seventh inning, with both teams tied at 3-3, he handed the mound to 이영하 and finished his pitching for the day. Doosan succeeded in coming from behind in the eighth due to a 키움 error, winning 5-3 to break their two-game losing streak. The winning pitcher was 이영하.

With a pitch count of 91, 최승용 utilized fastballs (45), sliders (19), splitters (14), and curves (13) to challenge the 키움 lineup. His fastball reached a top speed of 146 km/h, with a strike percentage of 65.9%. Though he did not earn the win, he fulfilled his role by achieving a quality start.

After the game, 최승용 expressed in an interview, "I allowed runs early in the game, but the batters focused and scored points. Thanks to (이)영하형 and (김)택연 who came in later and performed well, the team was able to win."

Noting that the 키움 hitters have been performing well lately, 최승용 said, "It seems the results from watching a lot of 키움 games and simulating helped. My control was somewhat shaky in the beginning, but following (양)'s ball mix gradually improved my control."

최승용 has shown good form this season, recording 1 win with an earned run average of 3.97 over 2 games (11 ⅓ innings). Having been selected for the national team for the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) and the 2024 Premier 12, which has provided him with considerable international experience, he said, "The experience with the national team has been a great help. It seems I get less nervous being in big games. I will prepare well for my next outing to contribute to the team's victory."

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