Keum Heroes' Kim Yoon-ha (20) ultimately could not achieve his first win of the season and has been sent down to the second team.

Keum removed Kim Yoon-ha from the first team roster on the 12th. In the opening starting rotation that included Kenny Rosenberg, Ha Young-min, Kim Yoon-ha, Jung Hyun-woo, and Yoon Hyun, Kim Yoon-ha has also finally dropped out after Jung Hyun-woo and Yoon Hyun.

Kim Yoon-ha is a promising right-handed pitcher who joined Keum after being selected in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2024 rookie draft. Last season, he recorded 1 win, 6 losses, and 2 holds with an earned run average of 6.04 over 19 games (79 innings). While those were not impressive results, he showed potential as a starting pitcher by securing a quality start (6 innings or fewer than 3 earned runs) in 4 games, including a win on July 25 against Doosan, where he pitched 7 innings allowing only 2 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 4 without allowing any runs.

Keum noticed Kim Yoon-ha's achievements and entrusted him with the role of third starter this season. However, Kim Yoon-ha posted poor results with 8 losses and an earned run average of 7.13 over 9 games (41⅔ innings). He became the losing pitcher in 8 of those 9 games and failed to secure a single win. Although he recorded 2 quality starts, many of his games did not have good pitching content.

Keum manager Hong Won-ki noted in an interview on the 6th, "Now, the fact that the bad parts are continually repeating means he should think about it. It appears that he is excessively focused on each batter, throwing many pitches and exerting all his energy. If he finds himself in a crisis with no outs and runners on first and third, he should be prepared to allow runs and think about getting outs, but it seems he is caught in a cycle of trying not to give up even one run, which leads to increased pitch counts and him falling into a mire. Although he is still a young pitcher, I believe that correcting these issues will allow him to take a step forward," expressing disappointment about Kim Yoon-ha's pitching this season.

"Of course, there are also some aspects that have improved, such as faster velocity compared to last year," manager Hong Won-ki said. "However, for both his own development and the team's enhancement, his game management skills and plans need to improve, in addition to the importance of achieving his first win. The management of the game on the mound needs to become more calculated," he pointed out.

Kim Yoon-ha did not show significantly different results despite manager Hong Won-ki's requests. In the game against Hanwha on the 11th, he recorded 5 innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 4 strikeouts, and 5 runs (4 earned) leading to a loss. Until the 4th inning, he did well against Hanwha hitters, allowing only 1 run, but he showed signs of struggle in the 5th and 6th innings and lost the game.

Manager Hong Won-ki explained the reasons for sending Kim Yoon-ha down to the second team, saying, "I judged that this situation would not be good for the player. I believe it is now time for him to reorganize. He needs time to reflect on his pitching and make changes. In the current situation, it could adversely affect his growth as a player."

This season, Keum has used only foreign pitcher Rosenberg and assigned starting roles to promising players in their first or second year, such as Kim Yoon-ha, Jung Hyun-woo, and Yoon Hyun. This was a choice aimed at nurturing the next generation of starting pitchers. However, due to poor performances by Kim Yoon-ha and Yoon Hyun, and Jung Hyun-woo's injury, the team ultimately lost them from the starting rotation. Although replacement starting pitchers like Kim Sun-gi and Cho Yeong-geon are maintaining the rotation, the departure of Kim Yoon-ha has been a significant blow given the struggles.

For Keum, which is currently at the bottom of the team earned run average (6.00), stabilizing the starting rotation (averaging 5.76, 10th place) is urgent for a rebound. There is much anticipation for Kim Yoon-ha, who has been sent down to the second team, to successfully reorganize and return to the first team.

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