'17 consecutive losses' Kiwoom Kim Yoon-ha pitched in the starting Kiwoom innings, saying, "I want to lose consecutive games so that I can win the team more than I do." [the site of a water source]

*This content was translated by AI.

The winning and losing of a starting pitcher has some luck. Even if you throw well, it can be a loss, and even if you are somewhat sluggish, you can win with the support of the batters.

In this regard, Kiwoom pitcher Kim Yoon-ha (21) was terribly unlucky last season. He started 18 games but lost 12 games without a single win. In the meantime, there have been four quality starts (more than six innings and less than three earned runs). If you add five consecutive losses since August 2024, your debut season, it will be 17 consecutive losses. Jang Si-hwan (39, Hanwha Eagles at the time, LG Twins), who had the most consecutive losses in the starting lineup, was also close to his 19th consecutive loss.

When will I be able to smile this year. In his first start in an exhibition game, he showed the possibility.

Kim Yoon-ha started in an exhibition game against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 19th and allowed two hits (one homer) and one strikeout for three innings. After two outs in the first inning, he gave Ahn Hyun-min a solo home run to the left with a ball count of 3-0. In the third inning, he was on the verge of loading the bases with one out with two walks and a hit, but Ahn Hyun-min struck out second baseman Fly and Hilliard to end the inning without a run.

He pitched 56 pitches. The maximum speed of his fastball was 146 kilometers per hour. In this year's exhibition game, Kim Yoon-ha appeared as a relief pitcher in the previous two games, pitching one and two scoreless innings, respectively.

Before the game, Kiwoom coach Seol Jong-jin said of Kim Yoon-ha, "We are competing for the fifth starting candidate this year," adding, "The ball speed has increased and the control of the ball has improved a lot compared to last year. If we show what we have done hard with a new mind this year, we will be able to break the losing streak as soon as possible and do better," he expressed his expectation.

After the game, Kim Yoon-ha said, "Since I'm a starter, I tried to play a fast game with the aim of taking more innings than during relief. "The ball went well as it was located, but the ball count became disadvantageous as the ball gradually escaped from the strike zone, but I think I handled it well and came up with a satisfactory result," he said.

Regarding the match with Ahn Hyun-min, he said, "In the first at-bat in the first inning, I thought I went into the body well with 3 balls-0 strikes, but I was surprised that he was also a great hitter (by hitting a home run)," and added, "In the third inning (with the bases loaded with one out), Gun-hee (catcher) came to the mound and asked if he was going to avoid it, so I just asked him to stick to it and pitched aggressively."

Regarding the losing streak, Kim Yoon-ha said, "We are all working together to win our team rather than personal records, but I am very sorry that I am not heading for victory. Since there are many fans who support me, I want to focus more and produce good results this year, he said. "The coach also told me not to feel pressured and do whatever I want on the mound. If the day comes when the record is broken, it will be a day for the team to win, so I think it will be good for the team and good for me," he said decisively.

Coach Seol Jong-jin praised after the game, "starter Kim Yoon-ha took good responsibility for three innings within the set number of pitches without a ball far out of the strike zone."

Meanwhile, Kiwoom won the game 11-4 on the day. Kiwoom scored as many as eight runs with six hits and four walks in the top of the eighth inning with 13 batters facing 3-3. Lee Ju-hyung, who started as the first batter, hit two long balls, a double in the first inning and a solo home run in the second inning.

KT's Ahn Hyun-min, who played in an exhibition game for the first time since participating in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), scored two hits and one RBI from four times at bat, including an out-of-the-field solo home run in the first inning and a heavy hit in the fifth inning. Starting pitcher Boschley allowed four hits, four strikeouts, and one run in five innings.

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*This content was translated by AI.