I will nominate KT Wiz. Jangan High School pitcher Kang Geon.”
Kang Geon, who graduated from Jangan High School, was selected by KT as the 110th overall pick in the 11th round of the 2023 KBO rookie draft. He is a player selected last in the draft.
Kang Geon joined KT as a training player and recorded 1 win, 1 loss, 2 holds, 26 runs (24 earned runs) in 34 games in 34 games in the Futures League this season, and an average ERA of 5.10. After that, a new opportunity came to him. He was called up to the first team.
He was named in the first-team entry after converting to a registered player on the 3rd. The opportunity for his debut came quickly. He went on the mound in the top of the 9th inning, trailing 2-10, in the first game of the doubleheader against the KIA Tigers held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 4th.
Kang Geon caught the first batter, Kim Gyu-seong, with a fly ball to center field, disposed of Oh Seon-woo with a ground ball to shortstop, and finished his debut by striking out Byun Woo-hyuk.
KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, who watched Kang Geon’s debut game, said on the 5th, “It may be his first time throwing in front of a large crowd, but he threw a good strike. His curve was very attractive,” and “I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to control his pitch, but he threw well. The mechanism was a little different. “It’s unstable, but I think it will get better as I stabilize through training.”
On the same day, Kang Geon said, “I never thought I would go up. I was so nervous when I went up. I slept a lot the night before thinking about what I would do if I pitched, but when I went up, I couldn’t even see the catcher’s mitt. My brothers gave me advice before I went up. You did a lot.
When asked about the most memorable advice to Kang Geon, he said, “(Lee) Chae-ho told me, ‘It will take a lot of strength when you climb the mound.’ So I deliberately relaxed. I felt like even if I relaxed, it would still take strength, so I threw without strength.” said.
The most impressive thing was that they did not give up a dead ball. Because it was his first pitch, he was nervous and his control could have been shaken, but Kang Geon threw the ball into the strike zone. He said, “Ever since I was in the second team, I didn’t like dodging. I threw with the thought that even if I got hit, I wouldn’t give a walk. I think I did the same when I moved up to the first team.”
If the scheduled game is not canceled, KT will conclude its regular season schedule with the Suwon Doosan Bears match on the 10th. There are 3 games left. Kang Geon said, “If I get another chance to go up, I will throw the same way as I did in his debut.”토토사이트
On the 6th, a second chance came to Kang Geon. He went on the mound in the top of the 9th inning against the Samsung Lions, trailing 2-5. After Park Se-jin walked leadoff hitter Yoon Jeong-bin, Kang Geon took the mound. Kang Geon started the game by striking out Kim Young-woong. Then, during pinch hitter Kim Hyun-jun’s at-bat, catcher Kim Jun-tae’s fastball came out and Yoon Jeong-bin reached second base, but he struck out Kim Hyun-jun and increased the number of outs. Afterwards, Lee Jae-hyeon hit a timely double with an RBI, and the runner came home, but Ahn Joo-hyung hit a grounder to shortstop, increasing the final out count.
In two appearances on the mound, Kang Geon showed potential. There is even more anticipation for the bottom-round rookie’s next season.
