Ryu Hyun-jin and Adam Oller didn't even make him jealous! Doosan's 20-year-old right-hander's insane June run with a 0.84 ERA — it wasn't just Kwak Bin who was the ace

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears didn't have only Kwak Bin. In his second year, right-hander Choi Min-seok (20) delivered pitching in June that no ace in the league could envy.

Choi Min-seok is a right-handed pitcher who graduated from Jungdae Elementary, Yangcheon Middle, and Seoul High School before joining Doosan as the 16th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft. He showed his potential by rotating through the starting lineup from his first year, and in his second year, he leaped to become a top-tier starting pitcher in the league.

Looking at the numbers alone, Choi Min-seok in June wasn't just a "next-generation ace" — he was already a league ace. In June, he went 4-0 in 5 games with a 0.84 ERA, recorded 32 innings with 8 walks (6 free passes and 2 hit batters), 28 strikeouts, and a batting average against of 0.183. He was the only pitcher to record an ERA in the zero-point range among those who met the regulation innings requirement in June, taking first place. His innings pitched ranked second behind Raul Alcantara of Kiwoom Heroes (33 innings), and his win total tied for first with KT Wiz's Go Young-pyo.

Considering only the month of June, Choi Min-seok at 20 years old was on par with Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) and Adam Oller (KIA Tigers). Ryu Hyun-jin in June went 2-0 in 5 games with a 1.50 ERA, while Oller went 3-1 in 5 games with a 1.74 ERA. However, Choi Min-seok succeeded in achieving a quality start (starting pitcher pitching at least 6 innings and allowing 3 or fewer earned runs) in all 5 of his June games, leaving a strong impression in terms of consistency.

After winning the June 30 game against Jamsil Lotte Giants, Choi Min-seok told reporters about his secret: "I thought I wouldn't give up any walks, but that actually led to more walks. When I started throwing with the mindset that it was okay to give up walks, the walks stopped coming."

In May, there were times when his ERA was shaky at 5.04. But Choi Min-seok didn't collapse for long. During his break, he reflected on the reasons for his struggles and changed his mindset to stop worrying about walks. As a result, he became a completely different pitcher in June.

Choi Min-seok finished the regular season with 15 games, 8 wins, 2 losses, a 2.39 ERA, and 86⅔ innings with 80 strikeouts, placing him among the league's top pitchers in key metrics. The only pitchers who clearly outperformed him were Adam Oller, who led the league in wins and ERA. Choi ranked second in wins, second in ERA, seventh in innings, and seventh in strikeouts.

Choi Min-seok said, "The position players are truly grateful. Every time I come in, they score runs very well and play great defense. I trust that and just focus on doing what I can, so it seems good records are following." He credited his teammates for his success.

What makes Choi Min-seok remarkable is that he possesses completely different strengths than when Doosan drafted him. At the time of the rookie draft two years ago, Choi was not even on the KBO's list of expected draft picks and was not invited to the draft event. Although his large frame and fastball reaching the high 140 km/h range were attractive, he had only appeared in 14 games during his time at Seoul High School.

Doosan bet on his growth potential and fastball command, and Choi exceeded those expectations. It is fair to say that Choi Min-seok two years ago and Choi Min-seok today are different pitchers. During his Seoul High School days, Choi mainly threw a fastball, two-seam fastball, and slider. However, after joining Doosan, he completely abandoned the four-seam fastball and switched to the two-seam fastball. At the same time, he replaced his slider with a sweeper and began throwing a splitter.

In his second year this season, he added a cutter as a new weapon. According to the Korean baseball statistics site Statiz, Choi's pitch distribution this season is 48.8% two-seam fastball, 25.5% cutter, 14.7% sweeper, and 10.7% splitter, completely reorganizing his pitch design and reborn as a new pitcher. His batting average against was only 0.199 on the two-seam fastball, 0.205 on the cutter, and 0.231 on the sweeper, proving he has fully established himself as a starting pitcher.

Choi Min-seok replied, "I just tried throwing various pitches playfully during catch practice or while walking, and they felt good in my hand. Since they felt okay, I kept practicing, and they seem to have become second nature to me." He added, "With the addition of the cutter this year and throwing more two-seam fastballs inside, I think I'm getting better results than last year."

His personality of enjoying baseball itself also contributed to his continuous development and growth. Even on the mound, Choi, who is still only 20 years old, can be seen enjoying the battle with batters. He said, "I don't really worry about records; I just think about how to face each game and each batter." He laughed, "Whether things go well or not, playing baseball itself is really fun. Since the results are good, it's even more fun."

He continued, "Even when I hit a slump, during the rest period given by the manager, I thought alone about why I was getting hit. I talk a lot about baseball with my seniors Kwak Bin and Choi Seung-yong on the bench, and catchers like Yang Ui-ji, Kim Ki-yeon, and Yoon Jun-ho lead the game well, so I think that's why we're getting good results."

Despite his performance exceeding expectations, Choi Min-seok dreams of an even better tomorrow. He said, "Maybe because I don't eat much, I haven't gained as much weight as others. I'm eager to improve my physical condition and velocity, so I'm working hard on weight training." He emphasized, "I don't focus much on wins. Wins require a lot of luck. Instead, I'm concentrating on achieving more quality starts."

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*This content was translated by AI.