"I don't feel (the closing pitcher) is in place yet. I just want to throw it so that my team can win."

Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha Eagles) was humble although he served as the closing pitcher. The only goal was for Hanwha to win.메이저사이트

Kim Seo-hyun, who was designated as the first overall pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles in 2023, is a right-handed pitcher who possesses fastball like fire. He played in 57 games (60.2 innings) until last year, and posted an earned run average of 5.04 with one win, two losses, one save and 10 holds. In 37 games (38.1 innings) in the 2024 season, he posted an earned run average of 3.76 with one win, two losses and 10 holds, making him a key bullpen resource for Hanwha.

Recently, his shoulders have become heavier. As Joo Hyun-sang, a former closing pitcher, has shown sluggish performance, the head coach appointed Kim Seo-hyun to take this position. "I will feel pressured to wrap up. Sometimes I will make blon saves, but I hope I can comfortably think of myself as a closing pitcher as I gain experience and wear the clothes (as a closing pitcher) well," Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said in a recent meeting.

Kim Seo-hyun said, "It wasn't a situation where I knew (of moving to the position) in advance. It suddenly changed. I felt a bit of pressure, but that doesn't mean I can't throw it. I'm going to do my best in the position you entrusted me to do," he said. "I certainly don't feel like I'm in the right place yet. This is a position that Hyunsang Co., Ltd. is doing, but I'm taking it as random for a moment. I want to take this opportunity to finish it, but I don't think I'm keeping up with Hyunsang yet. I'm going to do my best in my mission for now."

Since then, Kim Seo-hyun has not taken the mound for a save opportunity before the match against the Daejeon KIA Tigers on the 29th, but he took his first step as a closing pitcher by playing as the last pitcher in two games. He recorded 0.1 scoreless innings against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 27th, and 1 scoreless inning against the Daejeon KIA on the 28th, keeping Hanwha's 7-2 victory.

Looking back at the match against Kia on Friday, he said, "I thought that I might not play because the score difference is five points. I thought about playing tomorrow (29th), but I focused because the game was not over yet," adding, "It was good (to finish the game). It was my first time to play in the last inning since I was a rookie. I think it was good to throw the ball thinking that I was going to play in the inning before I went up."

His experience as a member of the national team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 last year was a great nourishment to Kim. Playing in four games at the time, Kim pitched well, allowing three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.

Kim Seo-hyun said, "I have gained a lot of confidence (with Premier 12 participation). I try not to avoid the opponent and start the game quickly. As a result, good performances are gradually following me. I think it will be more useful when dealing with batters if I have more experience according to my performance."

Finally, he expressed his commitment to focus on the team's victory rather than individual performance. "I don't want to pay attention to individual performance. If you pay attention to individual performance, you will get worse performance," Kim said. "I just want to think about dealing with other players. I just want to throw it so that my team can win."

Was it because of such a firm commitment? Kim Seo-hyun garnered his second career save in the match against KIA in Daejeon on Sunday, and the second in his career this season. He took the mound in the top of the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead and made a walk to Park Jae-hyun, but he silenced Kim Kyu-sung (strikeout), Choi Won-joon (strikeout groundout), and Kim Sun-bin (strikeout groundout) in turn. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Seo-hyun will continue to rise in the future and keep Hanwha's back door firmly.