Professional baseball player Kim Jin-wook (23) of the Lotte Giants is making adjustments in the minor leagues, but he did not perform well in his second Futures League appearance.

On the 2nd, Kim Jin-wook took the mound in relief during the Futures game against the Doosan Bears at Bears Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, recording 3 innings, 6 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 6 earned runs.

With both teams tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Kim Jin-wook replaced starting pitcher Lee Min-seok on the mound and struck out lead-off hitter Choi Woo-hyuk. However, he allowed a solo home run to Shin Min-cheol, giving up the lead. After giving up a double to Han Da-hyun, Kim Jin-wook faced a 1 out, 2 on situation, striking out Lee Sun-woo but allowing a one-run hit to Joo Yang-jun. Hong Seong-ho was struck out.

In the 4th inning, after allowing a hit to lead-off batter Park Seong-jae, Kim Jin-wook induced Son Yul-ki into a ground ball to third base, getting the lead runner out. However, he gave up a double to Yeong Dong-geon and walked Choi Woo-hyuk, putting him in a 1 out, bases loaded situation. Ultimately, he issued a walk to Shin Min-cheol, allowing another run with a sacrifice fly to Han Da-hyun. Lee Sun-woo was caught in a fly ball to right field, narrowly ending the inning.

In the 5th inning, Kim Jin-wook recorded a ground ball out to shortstop against lead-off batter Joo Yang-jun and handled Kim Min-hyuk with a fly out to left field. However, he walked Park Seong-jae and allowed a one-run double to Son Yul-ki. In the following 2 outs, 3 runners on base situation, a wild pitch allowed another run. Yeong Dong-geon was caught in a fly ball to right field. In the 6th inning, Lotte tied the game at 7-7 with a grand slam by Han Tae-yang, and Kim Jin-wook was replaced by Hyun Do-hoon.

Kim Jin-wook, who joined the Lotte Giants as the first round (first pick) selection in the second round of the 2021 rookie draft, garnered much expectation. However, in his debut season, he recorded 4 wins, 6 losses, 8 holds, with an earned run average of 6.31 over 39 games (45⅔ innings). He remained at an average of 6 earned runs through 2023, and last season, he also posted disappointing results with 4 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 5.31 over 19 games (84⅔ innings).

Kim Jin-wook, who prepared for the season with great determination, learning change-ups from Hanwha's ace Ryu Hyun-jin last year, was expected to play a key role in the Lotte starting lineup this year. However, he struggled with a record of 1 win, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 8.69 over 5 games (19⅔ innings) and was removed from the first-team roster on the 20th of last month.

After being sent down to the minor leagues for retooling, Kim Jin-wook made an appearance in the Futures League on the 26th of last month but struggled significantly, recording 3⅓ innings, 8 hits (2 home runs), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 6 earned runs, resulting in a loss. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung noted, 'He needs to raise his velocity, even if he gets hit. But it seems like he is pitching at the same pace in the minor leagues. The velocity is around 141-142 km/h, and he is throwing a lot of breaking balls. He shouldn't be pitching like that in the minor leagues.'

However, in his second appearance, Kim Jin-wook struggled to contend with batters and posted poor pitching results. Though he could have served as an emergency starting pitcher during the 9-game stretch, his inability to show improvement significantly lowered his chances of being called up to the first team. Manager Kim Tae-hyung questioned on the 30th of last month, 'Is an emergency starter really necessary?' expressing a negative opinion on the call-up for an emergency starter during the 9-game stretch.

It remains to be seen whether Kim Jin-wook, who is still expected by many fans, can rebound in the remaining season and return to the first team to show good performance.

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