*This content was translated by AI.
Wins, strikeouts, and even his powerful identity—his incredible velocity—are surprisingly not Kwak Bin's (27, Doosan Bears) top concerns. His only focus is becoming a better pitcher. Aside from ERA, which clearly reflects that goal, he shows no other ambition.
On the 8th, Kwak Bin started against the SSG Landers at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game, throwing 97 pitches over seven innings and delivering an outstanding performance with two hits allowed, one walk, seven strikeouts, and one earned run.
Backed by solid support from the lineup, Kwak Bin helped his team secure an 8th win (3 losses) of the season with a 7-3 victory. He has won six consecutive games since June. Last year, hampered by injury, he managed only five wins (seven losses) in 19 appearances, but this season he has already collected eight wins in just the first half. Most significantly, his performance is outstanding in every aspect, more so than ever before.
Kwak Bin's career high came in 2023 with 12 wins (7 losses) and a 2.90 ERA over 23 games. This season, he has posted an 8-3 record with a 2.60 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 17 appearances, enjoying his best season yet.
Manager Kim Won-hyeong praised Choi Min-seok, who leads the first half in both ERA and wins, but added, "Kwak Bin is even better. However, since Kwak Bin is the team's ace, expressing him as a comparison target shows just how well Min-seok has performed this season." He continued with a satisfied smile, saying, "As the number one starter and ace, Kwak Bin should perform like this. But Min-seok has performed so well in the first half that he can be compared to Kwak Bin, suggesting our pitchers are holding strong and showing excellent form."
Kwak Bin demonstrated why he is the ace. Of the 97th pitches he threw, 45 were four-seam fastballs averaging 152 km/h with a top speed of 159 km/h. He mixed in cutter pitches (18 throws) averaging 147 km/h with a peak of 150 km/h and slider pitches (17 throws) averaging 134 km/h that traced large arcs, confusing the SSG batters' timing. He also threw 12 changeups (averaging 134 km/h) to disrupt timing and five curveballs (averaging 117 km/h).
He gave up a solo home run to Jeon Ui-san in the second inning. In the bottom of the second with one out and no runners, with a 2-1 count, Kwak Bin tried to secure the count by throwing a 156 km/h fastball into the zone, but Jeon's hit flew off at an incredible 174.5 km/h, soaring over the right-field fence for a massive 130-meter home run.
Did that home run further motivate Kwak Bin? He began to exert even more effort afterward. After striking out two batters in the third inning, he allowed a walk to leadoff batter Choi Jeong in the fourth but induced a double play to clear the bases and finished the inning cleanly. He retired all three batters consecutively in both the fifth and sixth innings.
Especially in the sixth inning, Kwak Bin repeatedly threw fastballs that grazed the outer edge of the strike zone as his signature pitch, freezing Jung Jun-jae and Park Sung-han with consecutive swinging strikeouts. The 153 km/h and 156 km/h fastballs just kissed the edge of the zone. Even for two batters known for making solid contact, there was no way to handle such pitches.
Kwak Bin, who recorded his fourth and fifth strikeouts of the day, surpassed Adam Oller (KIA, 105 strikeouts) to take the top spot in strikeouts. With Oller having finished the first half early, Kwak Bin now leads the league in strikeouts heading into the second half.
This marks his second seven-inning gem against SSG, following a 7-inning, two-run performance on April 16. He also recorded his second high-quality start of the season (seven or more innings with two or fewer earned runs) and his eleventh quality start overall (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs).
He also broke his previous career-high velocity record, which stood at 158.7 km/h from a May 28 game against KT at Jamsil, by throwing a 159 km/h fastball on the fifth pitch of the first inning against Park Sung-han.
Despite pitching many innings, he still managed to record seven strikeouts. Kwak Bin said, "I took an aggressive approach and was able to quickly build favorable counts, which likely helped reduce my pitch count. I try to control the tempo as much as possible because I want to pitch long innings."
The impressive performance of his junior teammate Choi Min-seok (20), who finished the first half leading in both wins and ERA, has been a major source of motivation. Kwak Bin shared, "Min-seok is pitching so well that it's more stimulating than I expected. So during the second half, I told him, 'Please win the ERA title; I'm rooting for you. You're giving me a lot of inspiration.'"
He had no ambition for the wins title he held in 2024, nor for leading the league in strikeouts, nor even for his impressive velocity that makes those achievements possible. His sole focus is on improving his skills.
Kwak Bin stated, "I don't have big personal ambitions. I think it would be better if I just do my best according to my role." He added, "I'm not aiming for the wins title. I'm not particularly focused on strikeouts either. In fact, I don't even have a strong desire to throw 160 km/h; my goal is simply to maintain my velocity year after year. I think having such obsessions isn't necessary."
More importantly, it's about the fundamentals. Kwak Bin said, "What makes me happy is that my walk rate has improved significantly. My walks per nine innings have also decreased a lot." He smiled and added, "I feel like my baseball IQ (BQ) is increasing this year. I can't be more specific about it."
As the league's representative native ace, he feels he must deliver strong performances. What best reflects this isn't wins or strikeouts, which are heavily influenced by batters, but ERA—the metric that most comprehensively represents a pitcher's overall ability. Kwak Bin said, "My goal for ERA this year was under 3.50. Because I had a 4-point ERA for two consecutive years, the older players told me to quit baseball. They asked, 'Do you always get a 4-point ERA with that same pitch?' That's why reaching third place in ERA is even more satisfying."
He also has memories of performing exceptionally well in the first half but slipping in the second half. That's why the All-Star break is even more important. Kwak Bin vowed, "I must sleep well. Sleep is medicine, and managing my physical condition is most crucial during the second half. I don't think I'll be able to get many strikeouts. I need to take away batters' timing as much as possible, reduce my exercise, and cut down on other activities."
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*This content was translated by AI.
