The Lotte Giants' first overall pick Yoon Sung-bin showcased perfect pitching over 3 innings in the Futures League.
On the 14th, Yoon Sung-bin started in the away game against the KT Wiz in the 2025 MediHeal Futures League at Iksan Stadium, throwing 3 innings with no hits, no walks, 6 strikeouts, and no earned runs on 47 pitches.
Yoon Sung-bin faced Kim Byeong-jun, Kim Sang-soo, and Ahn Chi-young in the bottom of the first inning with the game tied at 0-0, completing a 21-pitch 1-2-3 inning. He got lead-off hitter Kim Byeong-jun to ground out to the second baseman after 7 pitches, handled Kim Sang-soo with a ground ball to shortstop after 9 pitches, and struck out Ahn Chi-young with a swinging Samjin.
The bottom of the second was truly spectacular. Yoon Sung-bin exhibited a KKK Samjin show against the KT's core lineup of Lee Ho-yeon, Yoon Jun-hyuk, and Kim Geon-hyeong. In the following bottom half of the third inning, he continued his dominance by striking out lead-off batter Choi Seong-min with a swinging Samjin, getting Kang Hyun-woo to ground out to third base, and striking out Moon Sang-jun looking.
Yoon Sung-bin was replaced by Kim Jin-wook in the bottom of the fourth, leading 3-0, marking the end of a successful outing. He threw 47 pitches (32 strikes).
Yoon Sung-bin was a highly coveted prospect during his time at Busan High School, eyeing both the KBO League and Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. His choice was the KBO League rookie draft, and he made a dazzling entry into the pros in June 2016 as the first overall pick of the Lotte Giants. Lotte was particularly attracted to his impressive physique, standing 195 cm tall and weighing 95 kg, along with his fastball reaching a top speed of 153 km/h, and his quick slider and forkball, resulting in a rookie contract that was the highest at the time, amounting to 450 million won.
Yoon Sung-bin did not live up to the enormous expectations of the team and fans at all. Struggling with a shoulder injury from his first year, he finally took the field in the first team in 2018 but faced disappointment with a record of 2 wins, 5 losses, and an earned run average of 6.39 over 18 games. Subsequently, he sought to improve his control with the extensive support of the club, including training with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan and attending the Driveline facility in Seattle, but the effectiveness was minimal. Yoon Sung-bin appeared in just one game for the first team in both 2019 and 2021.
Last year, Yoon Sung-bin finally answered head coach Kim Tae-hyung's call and made his first team appearance after three years, but faced pain after starting against the SSG Landers on July 30, yielding 5 earned runs over 1 inning.
Yoon Sung-bin is dreaming of a comeback in the Futures League this year. He was performing well with a record of 2 wins and no losses and an earned run average of 2.45 over 5 games, and the addition of his perfect pitching over 3 innings on this day has raised hopes for his return to the first team. It remains to be seen if he can contribute to the Lotte first team's struggling mound, currently dealing with injuries.
Meanwhile, in this game, Jeon Min-jae, who was removed from the first team due to a headshot, started at shortstop in the first lineup. He marked his complete recovery with 2 hits out of 3 at-bats and 1 run batted in by the fourth inning.
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