"He said, ‘Now just believe in me.’"

Finally, the long-awaited reinforcements joined the NC Dinos’ bullpen. On the 13th, ahead of the KIA game in Changwon, left-handed pitcher Kim Young-kyu was registered to the first team. This is his first registration for the first team this season. After shaking off shoulder pain, he finally joined the first team.

Kim Young-kyu recorded 2 wins, 4 losses, and 24 holds with an earned run average of 3.06 in 63 games in 2023, marking his first 20 holds in his career. That year, he also won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, experiencing the best season of his life.

However, in the 2024 season, while preparing to be a starter, he developed elbow inflammation and returned to the bullpen. He recorded 4 wins, 2 losses, 14 holds, and 1 save with an earned run average of 3.15 over 42 games. However, he ultimately could not complete the season.

On Aug. 3, 2024, he was removed from the first team due to shoulder pain and was ruled out for the season. Before this season, he aimed to transition back to being a starter. However, shoulder pain persisted. At spring camp, he was supposed to finish building up as a starter, but the pain continued, and his rehabilitation progressed slowly. There were many moments when he had to pause.

Ultimately, he prepared for the season again as a reliever and began to participate in actual games at the end of May. On May 31, he recorded a scoreless inning against Samsung in the Futures League, and on June 6, he completed his rehabilitation appearances with a scoreless inning against Lotte. He was registered again that day, marking his return to the first team after 315 days.

Meeting with Kim Young-kyu on the 13th, he said, "I received the call-up yesterday (12th) and couldn’t sleep well after a long time. I’m excited about it, too. However, the long gap has caused me a lot of mental anguish, and it has been hard. I think of this as an experience, and since I have returned late, I will try my best to take responsibility for more games and help the team climb to a higher ranking."

While rehabilitating, he commuted to Masan Stadium in Changwon, where he met many fans and received support. However, he couldn’t properly watch the first team games. He expressed, "After the opening, it was noisy at the ballpark, but while finishing up, it was hard. I found it tough to watch baseball while I couldn't play. I only saw it at the beginning of the season, and after that, I just checked the results."

Currently, his velocity has reached around 145 km/h, and his physical condition is good. Still, head coach Lee Ho-jun plans to manage Kim Young-kyu carefully. He said with a smile, "This morning, when I came to work, Young-kyu was running. He said, ‘Now just believe in me. I will start preparing from today.’ He will be included in the victory lineup. However, he cannot pitch consecutive games yet. I want to let him warm up only once. If he pitches one inning, he will take a day off without pitching multiple innings, and he will pitch in clean situations without runners on base."

Lee Ho-jun’s desire to reward all the waiting is strong. He stated, "The coach has taken good care of me since his coaching days and has helped me a lot. I wanted to return the favor, but I kept getting injured. I felt sorry and couldn’t contact him." He pledged, "Now that I’m back, I will strive to support the coach better with good results."

He added, "I have been very fortunate to play baseball during this time. I feel like I have received a lot of blessings," and firmly stated, "From now on, I want to manage my body well and become a player who can have a long career."

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