Chronic control issues have led to a bench-clearing brawl. Is it right for the Doosan Bears to continue giving Kim Yoo-sung opportunities as the fifth starter?

Professional baseball right-handed prospect Kim Yoo-sung started on the 23rd against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at the Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, pitching 3 innings, allowing 1 hit (1 home run), 3 walks, striking out 3, and giving up 2 runs on 53 pitches before being removed early.

Unlike his previous appearance, Kim threw a clean three-up, three-down inning on 11 pitches against leadoff batter Ruben Cardines, Song Seung-moon, and Lee Joo-hyung in the bottom of the first, which was scoreless. He retired Song Seung-moon on a pop-up to first base, struck out Lee Joo-hyung swinging, and set Cardines down with a pop-up to shortstop, with the highlight being his 152 km/h fastball that induced Lee Joo-hyung to swing and miss.

Kim Yoo-sung's moment of peace was short-lived as he began to lose his command slowly in the bottom of the second. After recording one out, he hit Yasiel Puig with a pitch and walked Lim Ji-yeol, creating a first-and-second base crisis. Unintentionally, his pitches were aimed toward the batter's body, leading to a brief exchange of words with Lim Ji-yeol. However, Kim then retired Kim Jae-hyun and Oh Sun-jin on consecutive fly balls to center field, avoiding any runs.

In the bottom of the fourth, leading 1-0, he walked leadoff batter Ruben Cardines, then surrendered a two-run homer to Choi Joo-hwan. A high fastball (146 km/h) thrown on the fifth pitch of a 3B-1S unfavorable count resulted in a home run that traveled 110 meters. This marked Kim Yoo-sung's second home run allowed this season.

Later, a 148 km/h fastball thrown on the first pitch directed toward Puig's face caused Puig to dodge away and then walk toward Kim Yoo-sung, displaying an angry demeanor. Catcher Yang Eui-ji immediately intervened, and players from both teams rushed onto the field, resulting in a bench-clearing incident. Fortunately, both Puig and Kim Yoo-sung quickly calmed down, and the situation ended within a minute, but Kim received a warning from the home plate umpire regarding pitches that could be considered dangerous before handing off to Choi Joon-ho.

On this day, Kim Yoo-sung also marked a top fastball speed of 152 km/h. His fastballs located in the strike zone were difficult for Kiwoom batters to contact. However, the problem was again his control. With 53 pitches thrown, the ratio of strikes (30) to balls (23) was nearly 1:1. Although he lowered his earned run average from 9.90 to 9.00, it was not a significant change, and he has now issued 14 walks over 13 innings. He has completed five innings only once among the four games he started, which was in a match against the Suwon KT Wiz on March 27.

Kim Yoo-sung, the standout from the 2023 rookie draft, has shown improved pitching in his third year as a professional, winning the competition for the fifth starter position against Choi Won-jun and Choi Joon-ho. However, the joy of joining the starting rotation for the first time has been short-lived, as he has not secured a win in five games, suffering two losses with an earned run average of 9.00, failing to contribute to the team. While he holds the least burdensome fifth starter position, that does not warrant continued tolerance for excessive walks and early exits.

Manager Lee Seung-yup noted to reporters the day before, "He needs to focus on the matchup with the batter and not worry about the surroundings on the mound. His abilities are quite good, so he must now show that on the field. It’s time for him to pitch well," but after just three innings, expectations turned into disappointment. Should Doosan continue to give Kim Yoo-sung opportunities as the fifth starter?

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