"I knew you could throw like that..."

Professional baseball player Kim Jin-wook of the Lotte Giants started the season as a starter, but he is currently lost and wandering. He began the season as the fourth starter and excelled in his first three games. With an earned run average of 3.18 (9 earned runs in 17 innings) over those three games, he was off to a good start. After being drafted first overall in the first round of the 2021 rookie draft, he seemed to finally be settling into his role in his fourth year.

However, in the next two games, Kim Jin-wook struggled with his control and faltered. On April 13, against NC, he went 1⅓ innings, allowing 3 hits (2 home runs), 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 6 earned runs. On April 19, against Samsung, he again went 1⅓ innings, allowing 8 hits (2 home runs), 2 walks, and 7 earned runs, collapsing in succession. Ultimately, Kim Jin-wook was demoted to the minor leagues.

It was not just a brief slump. It has become prolonged, and he has not found his form even in the minor leagues. His minor league record is 6 games with 1 win and 3 losses, an earned run average of 11.12 (21 earned runs in 17 innings). Nevertheless, manager Kim Tae-hyoung called Kim Jin-wook back up to the major leagues. This implied that he could not let Kim Jin-wook stay in the minor leagues indefinitely. On the 27th, when Kim Jin-wook was called back up, Manager Kim said, "We can't just keep him down in the minors because he struggled. I want to try him out in the major league left-handed relief corps."

And on the same day he was called up, on the 27th, he faced Samsung in Daegu. He recorded 1 inning, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), 2 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs. From the results alone, Kim Jin-wook was again not impressive. However, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung focused on the bold battles Kim Jin-wook displayed. The home run allowed that day was hit by the league's leading home run hitter, Lewin Diaz. Additionally, all the hits were unfortunate, as they were all soft hits. His pitching was notably good, reaching a top speed of 149 km/h.

On the following day, the 28th, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung noted, "He pitched his best yesterday (27th). He did well. I don’t know why he didn’t pitch like that before,” chuckling. He then devised a plan to utilize Kim Jin-wook as a key left-handed relief pitcher.

The stage for the test arrived. On the 30th, against SSG at Sajik, Kim Jin-wook took the mound during a period when a left-handed specialist was expected to enter. Starting pitcher Davidson exited after 5 innings, allowing 3 earned runs (2 earned), and in the 6th, Choi Jun-yong easily retired 3 batters. However, he created a crisis in the 7th with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd. With a one-point lead at 4-3, SSG prepared to send left-handed batter Han Yoo-seom to the plate as a pinch hitter. Kim Jin-wook, already warmed up, was confirmed for the pitch, as the Lotte bench saw Han Yoo-seom coming in. Normally, Jeong Hyeon-su or Song Jae-young would have come in, but Manager Kim Tae-hyoung trusted Kim Jin-wook’s pitching and put him on the test stage. However, the test ended ingloriously. Kim Jin-wook threw a slider at 135 km/h on the first pitch. It was located down the middle and an easy target for Han Yoo-seom's bat. Han Yoo-seom swung purposefully at that first pitch, sending it over the center fielder's head for a 1-RBI double, tying the game at 4-4.

In the end, Kim Jin-wook's one-point relief role concluded with just one pitch. After 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Jeong Cheol-won took the mound in relief of Kim Jin-wook and allowed a sacrifice fly, giving up 1 run, but minimized further scoring. Ultimately, the team succeeded in retaking the lead in the bottom of the 7th, winning the game 6-5, and minimizing Kim Jin-wook's blemish. He did not allow any earned runs.

Through this game, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung attempted to carefully and positively consider future deployment options for Kim Jin-wook. However, Kim Jin-wook missed the opportunity that came back to him. Once again, there are inevitable questions surrounding how to utilize Kim Jin-wook.

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