KIA Tigers pitcher Kim Ki-hoon has been called up to the first team as a special entry for the doubleheader.

KIA selected left-handed pitcher Kim Ki-hoon from Gwangju Dongseong High School as the first pick in 2019. He is a direct junior of Yang Hyun-jong and is expected to be "the second Yang Hyun-jong" as a left-handed pitcher.

Kim Ki-hoon received high praise from former manager Sun Dong-yeol during the 2019 spring camp. Former manager Sun, who visited the camp, saw Kim Ki-hoon's bullpen pitching and noted, "He just graduated high school and is only 19 years old, but I was really surprised by his pitching. I expect a lot from him," adding that he could succeed immediately in the first team.

In 2019, Kim Ki-hoon appeared in 19 games (16 starts), recording 3 wins, 6 losses, and an earned run average of 5.56. While he struggled with control issues (79⅓ innings, 65 walks) as a starter, he showed some potential. However, no one expected his debut season performance would be a career high.

In 2020, Kim Ki-hoon recorded 4 losses with an earned run average of 5.37 over 22 games (52 innings). He fulfilled his military service at Sangmu from 2021 to 2022 and returned in late September 2022. After his return, he played as a bullpen pitcher in the first team, appearing in 5 games, pitching 8⅔ innings, allowing 1 run, and recording an earned run average of 1.04, showing good velocity with a fastball over 150 km/h.

Although expectations were high for the next season, he still could not resolve his chronic control issues. In 2023, he recorded 2 wins in 29 games, but his detailed stats were not impressive: 31⅓ innings, 28 hits allowed, 37 walks, 26 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 4.60. In 2024, he had 1 win with an earned run average of 5.03 over 17 games (19⅔ innings), gradually diminishing his chances in the first team.

Kim Ki-hoon is currently playing in the Futures League. On March 19, he pitched against the KT Wiz in the Futures League but could not secure an out, finishing with 0 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, and 5 earned runs.

After a month of rehabilitation due to shoulder discomfort, he returned to pitch in 3 games, totaling 3⅓ innings, allowing 2 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs (1 unearned). His most recent appearance was on the 6th against the Lotte Giants, where he pitched 1⅓ innings, allowing 1 hit and no runs. His earned run average soared to 67.50 at the end of March but was lowered to 9.00. He has recorded 2 holds in 6 games (6 innings).

KIA's left-handed bullpen pitcher Kwak Do-kyu, who contributed to the overall championship with outstanding performance last year, underwent elbow surgery due to an injury in mid-April, resulting in his season-ending. Choi Ji-min is the first left-handed bullpen option, while Lee Joon-young is backing him up.

On the 9th, KIA called up right-handed bullpen pitcher Kim Hyun-soo to the first team. Pitcher Hwang Dong-ha, who was diagnosed with a 6-week recovery after being hit by a car while crossing the street on the 8th, was excluded from the first team, prompting KIA to bring up Kim Hyun-soo.

KIA's game against SSG on the 9th was canceled due to rain and has been rescheduled for a doubleheader on the 10th. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is operating special entries (2 players) for doubleheaders to protect the players.

KIA called up Kim Ki-hoon and infielder Hong Jong-pyo as special entries on the 10th. The first game of the doubleheader was canceled due to rain, so it has been rescheduled for the 11th.

Manager Lee Bum-ho commented on the special entry before the game on the 10th, saying, "When we do a doubleheader, some players have leg issues, so I was planning to let them play the first game and rotate for the second. Today, since one game is canceled due to rain, we probably have to stick to the usual format. We need to consider the situation since we have to do a doubleheader tomorrow, and it's Sunday, so the players will get a day off on Monday. I thought it would be fine to bring Kim Ki-hoon up."

Manager Lee noted that Kim Ki-hoon and Hong Jong-pyo will remain in the special entry for the first team until the doubleheader on the 11th. It remains to be seen if they will get an opportunity to pitch.

[OSEN]