“Cheongna Era Ace” Delivers Perfect Showcase; Lee Sung-yong’s Prediction Comes True… Kim Min-joon of SSG Says, “First Half ERA Was 7.00; Goal Is Sub-3.00”

*This content was translated by AI.

SSG Landers' long-awaited Kim Min-jun (20) has finally delivered the expected results. It was a game that made one nod in understanding why such high expectations were placed on a rookie selected in the first round who had no prior experience with the first division.

Kim Min-jun made the starting lineup for the visit game against the Doosan Bears at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 7th, pitching 83 pitches over six innings to deliver a scoreless performance with four hits allowed, one walk, and six strikeouts.

The team, which had endured a nine-game losing streak since the previous month's 24th, finally secured a victory after 10 games, with their last win also being achieved by Kim Min-jun.

With the starting rotation completely collapsed, there was little hope to be found. That is why Kim Min-jun's strong performance on this day carried even greater significance.

He pitched flawlessly through the first four innings. Thanks to the youngest player's tearful and impressive performance, the fielders also displayed sharp focus in defense, finally securing a precious lead in the top of the fifth inning. After consecutive hits by Kim Sung-wook and Choi Jeong from first base, Guillermo Heredia delivered a two-run double down the left-center gap, giving his team a two-run lead.

In the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs, Oh Tae-gon made a great defensive play at first base after allowing a double to end the inning, and Kim Min-jun returned to the mound in the sixth. Earlier, Kim had struck out a batter with his fastball as his signature pitch. Against Son Ah-seop and Park Jun-soon, he threw sliders and splitters respectively, recording consecutive strikeouts. Finishing with 83 pitches over six innings, Kim achieved his debut quality start (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs). This marked the sixth time in the franchise's history (including SK) that a high school graduate recorded such a feat in their debut season.

In the top of the eighth inning, Choi Jeong hit a two-run home run to add two runs, and the bullpen held opponents scoreless for the remaining innings, securing his second win (one loss) of the season while also halting the team's losing streak.

Kim Min-jun threw 43 fastballs with a top speed of 148 km/h and an average of 145 km/h among his 83 pitches, mixed with 22 splitters (average 132 km/h), 12 sliders (average 132 km/h), and 6 curveballs (average 121 km/h).

Fastballs were undoubtedly the most threatening. Although his fastball never exceeded 150 km/h, it was powerful. He recorded two strikeouts each with two high fastballs and outside low fastballs, totaling four strikeouts via fastballs alone. The effectiveness of his fastball created a synergy effect on his breaking balls. He added one more strikeout each with a low slider and a splitter.

Earlier, Coach Lee Sung-yong had recognized the pitcher's exceptional potential by saying he did not look like a 20-year-old. After the game, he said, "Today, he served as the vanguard in breaking the losing streak by pitching like a veteran ace rather than the youngest player." He added, "I sincerely congratulate him on his first quality start and hope he continues to grow into a true ace who will be responsible for the Landers' mound in the future."

Choi Jeong, who hit the decisive two-run home run that day, praised Min-jun, saying, "Min-jun threw very skillfully and effectively," adding, "He had good tempo and threw well, which made it easy for me. It seems the batters were very focused at the plate."

Even in the interview, one could sense a maturity that did not seem like that of a 20-year-old. Earlier, Manager Lee Sung-yong highly praised Kim Min-jun for his "adult-like" qualities, taking into account not only his experienced and smart pitching but also the level and attitude of his questions.

It was the same on this day as well. Although he has appeared in only five games as a rookie, Kim Min-jun said after the game, "I am glad we were able to break the losing streak. I thought of it as my last chance and threw with full strength, so I was able to win." He added, "I think I was able to keep them scoreless because I always wanted to pitch for a long time."

Although the losing streak had lengthened, the weight of this day was different. Had the team lost today and extended their streak to 10 games after already enduring a 13-game losing streak, they would have nearly become only the ninth team in history to suffer two double-digit losing streaks within a single season. Although Manager Lee stated before the game that he hoped the players would pitch without burden, the pressure felt by the players was inevitably heavy.

Nevertheless, Kim Min-jun said, "I threw quietly without any burden," and added, "It seems we won because (Choi) Ji-hoon hyung and (Oh) Tae-gon sunbaenim caught all the home-run line drives and balls that slipped through, allowing us to remain scoreless." He expressed his gratitude to the fielders.

He stepped onto the field with an extraordinary competitive spirit. While he felt no burden, his desire to end the losing streak was more intense than anyone else's. "I thought of today as my last game and decided I would win them all," he said.

There was no tension either. Kim Min-jun stated, "I was nervous during my first appearance because it was my debut at the baseball stadium, but today I had already made about four appearances, so I wasn't nervous."

He has recorded two wins and one loss in five appearances, with an ERA of 4.18. He also achieved his first quality start on this day, while his batting average against stands at just 0.225. Over 23⅔ innings pitched, he struck out a remarkable 20 batters.

What is even more encouraging is that the content keeps getting better. Kim Min-jun said, "Even in high school, it was a bit rough at the beginning of the season but improved as time went on. It seems like the same thing happened here," adding, "As my nerves settled and I found my rhythm, I tried to move forward easily, which worked out well."

Therefore, he cannot be satisfied with his first-half performance. He gave himself a score of 7 out of 10. "I think I still have too many walks and could pitch more innings, but it seems I haven't pitched enough yet," he said, adding, "I gave myself a 7 because we broke the losing streak today."

The second half aims for even higher goals. "I want to maintain a performance like today's at the very least and would like to try pitching seven or eight innings. If I pitch like this, I believe I can fill in the remaining three runs," he said, expressing his grand ambition: "This year, I want to win with an ERA in the 3rd-point range."

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*This content was translated by AI.