"The more I see, the more comfortable it gets."
KIA Tigers rookie pitcher Lee Ho-min (19) has begun to showcase his talent in real games. He is a promising player who was selected in the 2nd round of the 2025 rookie draft. He led the mound alongside Jeong Woo-ju (Hanwha) during his time at Jeonju High School. He pitched 73 innings last year. Upon joining, he has only done rehabilitation training to relieve and strengthen the fatigue in his shoulders and arms without touching a baseball at all. Finally, starting from the 6th, he has unsealed himself and begun to step onto the Futures real mound.
He has appeared in 6 games, recording 11⅔ innings, 9 hits allowed, 1 walk, and 13 strikeouts with an earned run average of 2.31. He has demonstrated excellent control and strikeout ability. While he is not the type to overwhelm opponents with velocity, he has shown the ability to handle batters on the mound. In the game against KT Wiz on the 20th, he made his first start, delivering a solid performance with 3⅔ innings pitched, allowing 3 hits and no runs. He used a fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. The drop on his changeup also looked good.
Pitching coach Lee Sang-hwa noted, "His pitching balance is good, and his control is outstanding. He can maintain the count in any situation, such as full counts, and can throw a bait pitch. He has the ability to make the game comfortable the more you see it. He is good at handling batters and throws well while disrupting their timing. The slider is his main pitch, and his curve and changeup are also good."
He added, "I heard that he threw up to 147 km in high school, but I think 144-145 km should be competitive even in the first team. His pitching level needs to rise significantly, but it's still lacking. I think it will improve over time. He is a starting pitcher. The goal is to prepare through the first half and go up to the first team in the second half. I will manage with a once-a-week appearance while gradually increasing my pitch count."
That day, Lee Ho-min threw for the first time on the mound at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field where first team players compete. "I thought, this is the mound I have to throw on. The back was much wider than I expected. The spectators came, and initially, my control was a bit shaky, but the seniors backed me up well with the defense, which eased my nerves, and I was able to throw as I wanted," he expressed satisfaction.
He continued, "My balance improves each time I throw. Today, my off-speed pitches were good. I first developed my changeup in my senior year of high school, and it's well-suited to me, and I execute it well. I throw curves and sliders to right-handed batters, but I still need to refine them. I threw the slider well, but in the pros, if it's high, they hit it easily," he noted, making refining his off-speed pitches his homework.
Finally, he said, "Throughout the winter, I didn't even touch a ball and focused on strengthening my body and endurance. Starting in February, I gradually worked on my pitches in stages. I'm not a pitcher with high velocity; I come out in the low 140 km range. I won't focus too much on speed but will refine my aim first. I need to sharpen and quicken my off-speed pitches as well. If I keep working hard like this, I believe I can move up to the first team."
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