'Why exactly' was the 19th-year-old fireballer so disappointed by Kim Do-young's hit? → Kiwoom manager: "He's the league's best hitter, so he must have wanted to win"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes' fearless rookie Park Jun-hyun (19) showed such fierce competitive spirit against the league's best hitter that even the manager smiled.

On the 23rd, Park Jun-hyun started against the KIA Tigers in a '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' home game at Gocheok Sky Dome. He pitched 5 innings, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), issuing 5 walks, striking out 5 batters, and giving up 2 earned runs. It was a decent outing, but he took the loss.

However, what drew attention as much as the result was Park Jun-hyun's unusual emotional reaction during the pitcher-batter duel against KIA's 'ace hitter' Kim Do-young (23). In the bottom of the third inning with two outs and no runners on base, Park allowed a left-field single to Kim Do-young. He then displayed an unusually deep look of regret on the mound, drawing fans' attention.

In response, Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin smiled when asked about the incident ahead of the KIA game on the 24th, expressing his appreciation for the rookie pitcher's strong competitive spirit. Manager Seol said, "I think it's because he has a very strong competitive spirit," while smiling.

Manager Seol further explained that he fully understood Park Jun-hyun's feelings for not being able to hide his emotions on the mound. He stated, "He must have wanted to compete against the best hitter and win. I believe this applies not only to Park Jun-hyun but to all pitchers."

Although he took the loss after allowing a hit to Kim Do-young and then a home run to Na Sung-beom, Manager Seol believes this experience will serve as nourishment for the rookie pitcher to grow into a top-tier pitcher. Regarding Park Jun-hyun, Manager Seol said, "Although one mistake pitch resulted in a home run, he has been pitching consistently well. His performance is excellent for a rookie. We are very grateful to him as a team," expressing his solid trust.

However, ahead of the game on the 24th, Park Jun-hyun was removed from the first-division roster and moved to Goyang, where the minor league team is located. The plan is to avoid making two appearances per week. Manager Seol added, "We plan to give him about 10 days of rest. He will make one more appearance until the All-Star break. Since he threw 100 pitches in 5 innings, we decided to rest him for management purposes."

Park Jun-hyun, who burned with determination on the mound while facing the league's best hitter head-on, is now under the manager's full trust. It remains to be seen whether he can use this disappointment as a stepping stone to grow one step further.

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*This content was translated by AI.