Doosan Bears' first overall draft pick hopeful Lee Ju-yeob (24) experienced a nightmare in the Futures League, allowing three home runs in one game.
On the 27th, Lee Ju-yeob took the mound as a starter in the home game against Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Mediheal KBO Futures League held at Icheon Bears Park, suffering a loss after 5 innings, allowing 7 hits (3 home runs), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 7 earned runs.
After a week off following the game against KT Wiz on the 19th (5 innings, 2 earned runs, loss), Lee Ju-yeob returned to the mound. He showed an uneasy start, allowing a leadoff hit to Lee Won-seok on the first pitch. While he struck out the next batter Lee Min-jae and caught Kim Gun on a foul fly to first base, he surrendered a two-run homer to Heo In-seo with two outs and a runner on first.
The second inning was a nightmare. After getting two outs, he allowed a double to Lee Sang-hyuk and then issued back-to-back walks to Bae Seung-soo and Lee Won-seok, creating a bases-loaded situation. He then faced rookie Lee Min-jae, who was selected in the 11th round, 102nd overall, in the 2025 draft, and gave up a painful grand slam.
Finding stability, Lee Ju-yeob retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings. However, in the fifth inning, trailing 0-6, he started off well by striking out leadoff batter Lee Won-seok but surrendered another solo homer to Lee Min-jae after one out.
Lee Ju-yeob continued to face trouble, allowing a hit to Kim Gun and an infield hit to Heo In-seo, putting runners on first and second with one out. However, he managed to prevent further scoring by getting Kim In-hwan to pop out to the third baseman and striking out Park Jeong-hyeon after an eight-pitch battle.
Lee Ju-yeob handed the ball over to left-hander Lee Kyo-hoon in the sixth inning while trailing 0-7. Doosan's offense remained silent, leading to a 1-7 defeat, marking their third loss of the season. His earned run average skyrocketed from 6.42 to 7.09 (45⅔ innings, 36 earned runs).
The reason Lee Ju-yeob's three home runs allowed in one game is particularly painful is that he had garnered attention five years ago as a promising right-handed pitcher who would lead Doosan's future.
Lee Ju-yeob graduated from Seongnam High School and was honored as the first overall pick by Doosan in the 2020 rookie draft. However, five years later, his first-team performance consists solely of 4 games in the 2020 season, with no wins or losses and an earned run average of 8.10. Since a game on Sept. 4, 2020, against Daegu Samsung Lions (2 earned runs in ⅔ inning), he has vanished from the first team.
Lee Ju-yeob enlisted in the army as an active-duty soldier in February 2021 to resolve military issues first. He made a fresh commitment upon his discharge in August 2022, but during his conditioning process, he injured his shoulder and made only one appearance in the Futures League in 2023.
Lee Ju-yeob has been spending time training with a pitching form that does not strain his shoulder. However, his return to the first team seems distant. After finishing the previous year's Futures League with a record of 3 wins, 6 losses, 1 hold, and an earned run average of 6.80, he has not been able to achieve any significant turnaround this year, with 19 games and no wins, 3 losses, 1 save, 1 hold, and an earned run average of 7.09.
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