I've hung on to every pitcher coach' Kim Jin-wook, who is constantly studying, breaks his first 8 innings → team's 7 consecutive losses

*This content was translated by AI.

The game that all of the Lotte Giants wanted to see the most came after the opening 10 games.

Lotte defeated KT Wiz 6-1 in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season home game held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 8th.

The starting pitcher was in charge of the long innings. Kim Jin-wook won his first game of the season by allowing three hits (one homer) with one walk and six strikeouts in eight innings. It was Lotte's first quality start (more than 6 innings and less than 3 earned runs) and the dominant start (more than 8 innings and less than 1 earned run).

The batters scored the points needed to win. Leadoff Victor Reyes went 3 for 4 with an RBI, a walk and a steal. The veterans showed their presence in the right place. No. 3 hitter Jeon Jun-woo had 3 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats, and No. 5 hitter Kim Min-sung decorated his first hit of the season with a two-run shot that sealed the victory.

The players' concentrated play was also outstanding. The fourth batter, Han Dong-hee, played 2 hits, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base in 4 at-bats, and at the same time shone in defense. As the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the second inning, he made a bold second base steal with a hit to the middle. It was the first time in three years since the match against the Gwangju KIA Tigers on May 2, 2023. Coincidentally, the starting pitcher that day was Kim Jin-wook, and even then, Han Dong-hee stole in the second inning and contributed to the victory.

It cannot be denied that starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook was at the center of stable performance. Kim Jin-wook played a total of 100 pitches, including fastball (55 pitches), slider (22 pitches), curve (13 pitches), and change-up (10 pitches).

I got a favorable ball count with my main weapon fastball and slider. From the 1st to the 8th innings, he maintained a steady fastball ball with a maximum speed of 148 kilometers per hour and an average speed of 146 kilometers per hour. Thanks to this, even though the ball went into the top of the strike zone, which hitters were likely to suffer from, it was a mistake again and again. The curve and change-up fell appropriately to the boundary of the strike zone, depriving batters of their timing. They include Sam Hilliard's strikeout at bat in the top of the fourth inning and Lee Kang-min's strikeout in the top of the fifth inning. In the last inning, he completed his first eight innings of his debut by drawing a swing and miss with a changeup and fastball outside the strike zone against right-handed batters Bae Jeong-dae and Lee Kang-min.

It is the result of constant study. After graduating from Suwon Shingok Elementary School, Chuncheon Middle School, and Gangneung High School, Kim Jin-wook continued to try to find the right balance and breaking ball for himself after being nominated by Lotte as the No. 1 pick in the second round of the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft. The fast ball with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour and the ball, which rarely dies, were so attractive. Each coach who passed Lotte clung to Kim Jin-wook. At one point, some officials pointed out "too much work" as the reason Kim Jin-wook rarely grows. An official from a KBO club even lamented, saying, "It's because (Kim) Jin-wook is so sincere and nice."

He didn't give up even though he was tired of starting with high expectations every year and finishing the season with a bad performance. This year, he changed his changeup, which he received direct advice from Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles), with the help of Lotte Data Part. Change-up is especially a type of pitch that depends on the shape and sensation of the hand. Kim Jin-wook referred to Dan Staley, who played for Lotte closely, to the change-up of the Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers), who is called the best pitcher in the Major League in the distance.

Kim Jin-wook, whom I met during the exhibition game, said, "It's a little different from the changeup I learned last year. "I've been discussing with the data team since I was in the closing camp and the second division, but the angle of my wrist is not working well, so I'm throwing (changeup) in a slider format," he explained.

"There is a changeup that Staley threw. (The data team) gave me a video of Staley in the past and said there is also a changeup like this." I learned that there is a change-up type that suits people who throw sliders well, such as Scuval change-up. He said, "I'm practicing steadily because I gave you more feedback to make it easier to control."

Kim Jin-wook pitched silently even though it wasn't completed yet, and so Kim Jin-wook succeeded in his most innings in one game since allowing one run in seven innings against the Changwon NC Dinos on April 5, 2022. It was the first eight innings for Lotte's domestic pitcher since Park Se-woong (31) allowed three runs in eight innings against the Ulsan Doosan Bears on July 18, 2024.

It was also significant at the team level. Lotte's last quality start was six scoreless innings by Vince Velazquez against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on September 30 last year. Even if the year changed, the quality start was rarely made, but Kim Jin-wook cut it off.

Lotte broke off the nightmare of seven consecutive losses with Kim Jin-wook's good pitching and players' intensive play, setting the stage for a rebound. Kim Jin-wook said in an interview with a broadcaster after the game, "There is a saying that the ground becomes stronger after rain. I always believe and train that horse. It's a bad situation, but it has the power to go up even further. I hope fans will visit the ballpark a lot and cheer for me," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.