"Did you raise your arm height again?"
26-year-old right-handed fireballer prospect Yoon Seong-bin of the Lotte Giants made his starting debut against KIA Tigers in the Futures League on the 12th at Jeonnam Hampyeong KIA Challengers Field, throwing 80 pitches over 5 innings, allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and recording 10 strikeouts for a perfect performance with no runs allowed.
It was his best appearance among recent outings. The chronic control issues also seemed to have been somewhat resolved. His control was stable and he commanded the powerful pitches, dominating the game that day.
He recorded 48 strikes and 32 balls. That day, he focused on fastball pitches, using 67 fastballs. His maximum speed was 154 km/h, averaging 152 km/h while delivering powerful pitches. He also incorporated 7 forkballs and 6 sliders.
Yoon Seong-bin, who was drafted as the first overall pick in 2017, was a highly regarded prospect even noted by Major League Baseball. However, he only briefly participated in the starting rotation at the beginning of the 2018 season, after which he primarily remained in the second team. He struggled to grow and remained inconsistent.
He made a brief appearance in the first team last year. He made a surprise start against SSG on July 30, pitching 1 inning and allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, and recording 1 strikeout while giving up 5 earned runs before returning to the second team.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung also noted Yoon Seong-bin's pitching performance during the game on the 12th. "Did you raise your arm height again?" he remarked, indicating he was aware of Yoon Seong-bin's recent changes. Yoon Seong-bin pitched with an almost sidearm-style throwing form last season.
One good outing will not captivate Manager Kim Tae-hyung, and he does not seem to have high expectations. No matter how good the pitching content is, one instance is not sufficient. Kim explained, "It would be great if he could throw that consistently. We need to watch a bit longer," and mentioned he will keep an eye on Yoon Seong-bin's future performance.
Meanwhile, Lotte aims for its first series sweep of the season against NC on the 13th. The starting lineup includes Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), RAY (left fielder), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Kim Min-seong (third baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Jang Du-seong (right fielder), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Kim Jin-wook.
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