Notification of Hanwha's break-up notification of 'left-hander Sun Dong-ryeol' → What if he had not recruited 'Lee Pitcher' to KIA at 2 billion won? It's a 'god move'!

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers won four consecutive games last week and gained momentum. At the center of it is Kim Bum-soo (31, KIA), a transfer who played as a franchise star for Hanwha Eagles until last season.

Kim Bum-soo has taken the mound in seven games this season and has a 5.40 ERA with one save and three holds without winning or losing. In a total of three ⅓ innings, he has three hits, five walks, five strikeouts, and three runs (two earned) with a batting average of 0.231.

In fact, this season's start was unsettling. He took the mound in relief in the opening game against SSG Landers on the 28th of last month, but he allowed two hits, one walk, and three runs (two earned runs) without catching an out count.

The next day, KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said of Kim Bum-soo, "I came as an FA and went to an important situation in the first game, especially in the opening game. After the game, I met with head coach Son Seung-rak at the sauna at the accommodation, and he said Kim Bum-soo said, "I don't deserve to eat."

And Kim Bum-soo is showing a complete change after just one game in the opening game. Since then, he has been on a scoreless streak in all of his games (six games). He even pitched five consecutive no-hit games before the recent game.

Above all, he supported the team at a time when KIA's main bullpen resources have recently deviated. KIA eliminated Jung Hae-young, who was sluggish, from the first-team entry ahead of the match against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 11th. In addition, Jeon Sang-hyun, who was also sluggish, was also excluded from the first-team entry when he was diagnosed with intercostal muscle micro-damage. Two must-win teams left the line at once.

In the meantime, it was meaningful that Kim Bum-soo played well with two holds and one save last week. In the match against the Samsung Lions on the 7th, he pitched one walk and no runs in ⅔ innings to secure the hold. In the game against Hanwha on the 10th, he pitched one walk and two strikeouts in ⅔ innings to earn a save, and in the game against Hanwha on the 11th, he recorded a hold again after recording one hit and one walk in ⅓ innings. During this period, it is no exaggeration to say that the 'national treasure pitcher' is a high-level honor.

In fact, Kim Bum-soo showed good performance from this year's exhibition game. He took the mound in four exhibition games and recorded three holds without winning or losing. He pitched a total of three ⅓ innings, walking one and striking out three. During the exhibition game, coach Lee said, "I'm writing it while keeping it. It is said that he can throw a lot during the season. He's in such good condition. If there are about two left-handed hitters from the opposing team, I will have them throw about an inning. It's a waste to write short. I'm thinking of it as a must-win team that can take responsibility for one inning," he said, expressing deep trust. Although the scoreless streak before the exhibition game was shaken for a while in the opening game, it now seems to continue again.

Kim Bum-soo joined Hanwha as the first designated player in 2015 and pitched in 481 games in 11 seasons until last season, recording 27 wins, 47 losses, 5 saves, 72 holds, 484 strikeouts, and an ERA of 5.18. And at the end of the season, he exercised his first free agent (FA) right. In the end, he left Daejeon, where he became attached, and signed a surprise FA contract with KIA for a total of 2 billion won (down payment of 500 million won, annual salary of 1.2 billion won, incentives of 300 million won) for three years and headed to Gwangju.

Above all, he performed well last season and made a great contribution to Hanwha's runner-up. In 73 games, he pitched 2-1 with two saves, six holds, 41 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.25 in a total of 48 innings. At the time of the announcement of the recruitment of Kim Bum-soo, Kia's general manager Shim Jae-hak said, "Kim Bum-soo is a bullpen pitcher who can overwhelm opposing batters based on strong ball power, which is an essential resource for the team. He explained, "We showed good performance by maximizing our strengths last season, and we decided that there is a high possibility of growth in the future, so we pushed for recruitment." And Kim Bum-soo is living up to the expectations of KIA fans.

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*This content was translated by AI.