Lotte's Kim Jin-wook, 'Cancellation of Entry into Sangmu' a Masterstroke! ERA 10.00→AG First Priority for Recall, Dramatic Turnaround: "I Always Want to Join the National Team"

*This content was translated by AI.

Given his performance so far, it would be strange if he were not selected. Lotte Giants left-handed pitcher Kim Jin-wook (24) has raised his chances of being selected for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (AG) with impressive performances.

On the 3rd, in a road game against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, Kim Jin-wook led Lotte to an 8-3 victory with 6 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.

His pitching stood out for its efficiency. He recorded two innings with 10 pitches or fewer (8 pitches in the 1st, 9 in the 4th) and remained on the mound through the 7th inning. In total, Kim threw 93 pitches: 49 fastballs, 24 sliders, 11 curveballs, and 9 changeups, achieving a Quality Start (QS: 6+ innings with 3 or fewer earned runs). His fastest fastball reached 151 km/h.

Kim, who came off the mound with the score at 5-3 after steadily allowing runs, secured his third win of the season (3 losses) thanks to strong relief pitching and batters who never let up on the offense. This was his first win in 49 days since April 15 against the LG Twins at Jamsil.

After the game, Kim Jin-wook told reporters, "I didn't realize it had been so long since my last win, but I'm truly grateful to the position players for helping me get this starting win." He added, "Starters are often told that pitching many innings is more important than getting the win. It's great to be the winning pitcher because it means the team won. Even if I don't pitch well, if the team wins, that's good, so I haven't really thought much about being the winning pitcher."

When things got shaky in the 7th inning, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung personally came to the mound to calm Kim Jin-wook. Kim recalled, "The manager told me not to struggle while pitching. He said I should be bold and attack. So when the next pitch was a fastball, I threw boldly, but it got hit again. I wondered if I should have held back a bit." He continued, "It's rare for the manager to come to the mound, but it was encouraging. Even after leaving the mound, he told me to keep throwing hard and strongly. I didn't think about it being the 7th inning; I just focused on each pitch equally."

As a result, Kim Jin-wook's stats stand at 11 games, 3 wins, 3 losses, 3.48 ERA, 64⅔ innings, 51 strikeouts, 1.19 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), and a batting average against of 0.239. His innings rank 5th in the league and 1st among domestic pitchers. Naturally, he is being mentioned as a candidate for the final 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games roster to be announced on the 11th. Given how rare left-handed starting pitchers have been in international tournaments, Kim Jin-wook is considered the top priority for recall both in terms of qualifications and ability.

His decision to voluntarily cancel his entry into the Sangmu Army (Sangmu) two years ago, which had caused major concern, appears to have been a masterstroke. Just three days before the end of the 2024 season, Kim withdrew from the Sangmu entry process, surprising many. At the time, he was diagnosed with a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left elbow and began rehabilitation without surgery. His return season was not successful. Last year, Kim pitched in 14 games with a 1-3 record, 10.00 ERA, marking the worst season of his career.

But he never gave up. Even this past winter, Kim worked to adjust his pitching rhythm, extensively studied the changeup, and sought the right pitch for himself, doing his best to write a dramatic turnaround story.

Regarding the announcement of the final Asian Games roster, Kim Jin-wook said honestly, "At the beginning of the season, it felt far away. But as the announcement date approaches, many people around me are talking about it. They tell me that if I perform a bit better, I could be selected, so I am thinking about it." He added firmly, "I think I shouldn't be too conscious of that. My primary goal is to focus on my own pitching until the announcement is made."

Having worn the national team jersey just once also excited him. Kim participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, recording scoreless outings in four games. He said, "The national team is symbolic, and it's always a place I want to go. If I get selected again this time, I think it would be wonderful." He then joked, "The reason I always perform well during spring training is because I play against many Japanese and Taiwanese teams. Since I've had good results there, I believe I can achieve good results at the Asian Games as well."

His unwillingness to settle easily also raises expectations for September. When asked to rate his performance so far this year, Kim Jin-wook smiled and said, "I'd give myself about 75 out of 100. I could have pitched more innings, but there were many moments where I allowed a large number of runs in an instant. I'm aware of that, and (Son) Sung-bin always tries to step in effectively at those times. If we remove those regrets, I think I'd still rate myself around 75."

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*This content was translated by AI.