SSG Landers' Kim Kwang-hyun (37) delivered a strong performance but did not secure a victory.

On the 22nd, Kim faced the Doosan Bears in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, where he pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, walking 1, striking out 7, and giving up 1 run.

In the bottom of the first inning, after walking the leadoff batter Jeong Soo-bin, Kim struck out Jake Cave on a swinging strike. He then prevented Jeong Soo-bin from stealing second base with a pickoff throw, and although he allowed a hit to Yang Eui-ji, Yang Seok-hwan was struck out looking to end the inning.

In the second inning, Kim struck out all three batters, and in the third inning, he allowed a hit to Lim Jong-seong with one out. However, he handled Jeong Soo-bin and Cave with consecutive ground balls, finishing the inning without major trouble. In the fourth inning, he once again retired the side in order.

In the fifth inning, Kim allowed a hit to O Myung-jin with one out. However, he struck out Kang Seung-ho and induced a ground ball from Lim Jong-seong to finish the inning without significant trouble. In the sixth inning, he allowed a ground ball single to the shortstop to Jeong Soo-bin, but he got Cave to ground out to second base, catching the lead runner, and struck out Yang Eui-ji. Yang Seok-hwan grounded out to second base.

With SSG leading 4-0, Kim took the mound again in the seventh inning and allowed a hit to the leadoff batter Kim Jae-hwan. He ultimately handed over the mound to Lee Ro-woon with no outs and a runner on first, concluding his appearance for the day. Lee allowed consecutive hits to Kim Ki-yeon and O Myung-jin, resulting in a run scored against Kim, but the inning ended without additional runs.

However, in the eighth inning, SSG's Kim Min allowed a one-run infield hit to O Myung-jin, followed by a game-changing grand slam home run by Lim Jong-seong, turning the game around. Simultaneously, Kim Kwang-hyun's chance for victory vanished. The game ended with SSG losing 5-6, marking the end of their four-game winning streak.

Kim threw 82 pitches, utilizing his slider (33 pitches), fastball (24 pitches), changeup (14 pitches), and curveball (11 pitches). His fastball reached a top speed of 148 km/h, and he recorded a strike rate of 68.3%, actively challenging Doosan batters while limiting them to just 1 run over 6 innings.

This season, Kim has recorded 2 wins and 6 losses over 11 games (60⅔ innings) with an earned run average of 3.56. Although he has rebounded from last season's struggles, where his ERA peaked at 4.93, he appears to be plagued by bad luck, having suffered 5 losses without a win in his last 7 games since his first start against Doosan, where he recorded a victory with 5⅔ innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 walks, striking out 8, and giving up 2 runs. There were games where he was the losing pitcher due to giving up many runs, but in the 3 games where he allowed 2 runs or fewer, he recorded 1 loss, and in another game where he lost after giving up 4 runs, there were no earned runs.

On the 11th against KIA, Kim earned a victory pitching 7 innings, allowing 1 hit (1 home run), 1 walk, striking out 7, and giving up 1 run. However, on the 17th against Hanwha, he threw 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, hitting 1 batter, striking out 4, and giving up 1 run but once again became the losing pitcher. Despite another strong performance that day, the bullpen failed to secure the win, leaving disappointment.

With good fortune seldom on his side, it remains to be seen whether Kim Kwang-hyun can secure multiple victories in the remainder of the season and receive his fair share of luck.

[OSEN]