"If I come up to the first team, I can pitch well."
Kim Tae-hyoung (19), a first-round rookie from the Kia Tigers, finally got the chance to make his debut in the first team. Manager Lee Beom-ho called up Kim Tae-hyoung ahead of the game against the Samsung Lions on Nov. 11 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. Instead, he sent down Hong Won-bin, who had performed poorly the previous day, to the second team.
Kim Tae-hyoung is a promising player who was selected in the first round of the 2025 rookie draft. Last year, during the Okinawa spring camp, the manager praised him highly, saying, "I will make him compete as a candidate for the starting position." He received high evaluations for his speed of 150 km, control, and ability to handle breaking balls, and he announced a competition for the fifth starting position along with Kim Do-hyun and Hwang Dong-ha.
He was excluded from the candidates during spring camp and started the opening season in the second team. The plan was to teach him starting skills and eventually provide him with a chance to debut in the first team. However, contrary to expectations, he delivered poor performances. He started all seven games, pitched 26 innings, and recorded four losses without a win, with an earned run average of 11.42. He issued 20 walks and had a batting average against of .358. His performance was far below expectations.
After pitching four innings with three hits, three strikeouts, and no earned runs in a game against Goyang on May 17, he had not appeared in a competitive game since. There was interest in the reason for calling up Kim Tae-hyoung, who had not pitched in a competitive game for the past 24 days, due to his poor performance. It was hoped that he would throw well if he came back to the first team stage. Recently, right-handed pitcher Seong Yeong-tak was called up from the second team, having pitched 10 innings without allowing an earned run, thus earning a place in the winning group, which led to this opportunity for Kim Tae-hyoung.
Manager Lee Beom-ho explained, "Although he did not perform well in the second team, he is a player with the ability to pitch well when promoted to the first team. It is not good for him to remain in the second team all the time. He performed poorly at the beginning, but he is improving recently. I wanted to see how he pitches in the first team. He might pitch boldly in the first team environment. When the stage is different, he tends to pitch better under pressure."
He further mentioned Seong Yeong-tak, saying, "We needed a pitcher who can pitch when we lose by 2-3 runs, which is why I called up Yeong-tak. The second team's ERA was not good. He pitched much better and was good with timing. I have seen young players from the second team pitch well when they come up to the first team. Tae-hyoung will be put in challenging situations too. If he pitches vigorously, the situation will change."
[OSEN]