'Finally' Kim Seo-hyun 'adjusted his pitching form' and then achieved three consecutive scoreless outings in the Futures League, adding a hold! Will he return to the first division stage?

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Seo-hyun (22), who served as the closer for the Hanwha Eagles, succeeded in recording three consecutive scoreless outings in the Futures (minor league) League.

On the 18th, Kim Seo-hyun appeared in relief in an away game against the SSG Landers Futures team at the SSG Futures Field in Ganghwa, serving as the team's fourth pitcher. He pitched one inning, allowing one walk and striking out two batters in a scoreless performance, securing a hold.

Kim Seo-hyun took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with Hanwha leading 5-4.

As soon as Kim Seo-hyun took the mound, he induced a flyout to left field from leadoff batter Ryu Hyo-seung, then issued a walk to the following batter, Choi Yun-seok. However, no further baserunners were allowed.

After striking out Kim Min-beom, he also struck out Ahn Jae-yeon, who came up next, finishing his outing cleanly in a scoreless fashion.

Hanwha went on to score four runs in the top of the ninth inning, ultimately winning the game 9-4.

After this game, Kim Seo-hyun's season statistics in the Futures League stand at four appearances with no decisions, one save, one hold, and an ERA of 5.40. Over a total of five innings, he allowed two hits, issued two walks, recorded eight strikeouts, and gave up three earned runs, with a batting average against of 0.118.

This marks three consecutive scoreless outings. Kim Seo-hyun had struggled on the 2nd against the Doosan Bears Futures team, pitching two innings, allowing two hits, issuing one walk, striking out two batters, and giving up three earned runs.

However, on the 4th against Doosan, he pitched a perfect inning with three strikeouts to secure a save. Then on the 16th, he succeeded in a scoreless one-inning outing against the SSG Futures team.

Kim Seo-hyun was the one who reliably held down the back door for Hanwha during the 2025 season. Last season, he appeared in 69 games, recording two wins, four losses, 33 saves, and two holds with an ERA of 3.14. Over a total of 66 innings, he allowed 52 hits (four home runs), issued 31 walks, hit one batter, recorded 71 strikeouts, and gave up 23 earned runs, demonstrating the best growth trend.

Kim Seo-hyun, who had performed so well, has been somewhat sluggish this season. He has appeared in relief in all 12 games this season, recording one win, two losses, one save, and an ERA of 12.38. Over a total of eight innings, he allowed nine hits (one home run), issued 15 walks, recorded five strikeouts, and gave up 12 earned runs, with an on-base plus slugging per inning (WHIP) of 3.00 and a batting average against of 0.281.

Most of all, Kim Seo-hyun has continued to struggle with his control. On the 14th of last month against the Daejeon Samsung Lions, he appeared in relief with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth inning, allowing four walks and one hit batter over one inning, giving up three runs. After three consecutive scoreless outings, he bowed his head on the 26th of last month against the Daejeon NC Dinos, surrendering a go-ahead two-run home run to Ahn Joong-yeol.

Eventually, he was removed from the first division roster on the 27th of last month. After regrouping in the Futures League, he was called up to the first division again on the 7th, just ten days later, ahead of the Gwangju KIA Tigers game. However, he failed to record a single out, allowing two hits, one walk, one hit batter, and four earned runs, showing poor form, and was ultimately excluded from the first division roster on the 13th. Although the team had a six-run lead between the 8th and 12th, he did not get the opportunity to take the mound.

When he was removed, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon told reporters, "It depends on whether he can convince himself that he is slightly adjusting his form; if he can, we can discuss it with the coaches. If not, it will be a difficult situation." He added, "Since he is losing his control while throwing, I told him to go to the minor league and take ample time." When asked about whether he had implemented changes to his pitching form in the minor league, he said, "No. It is primarily about control. We will consider whether to call him up based on his performance in games in the minor league."

Throughout this season, Hanwha has been struggling with an inconsistent bullpen. Will Kim Seo-hyun be able to firmly establish himself in the minor league and return to the first division mound? Ultimately, Kim Seo-hyun must revive himself for Hanwha to climb to a higher standing this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.