"Game management at a Veteran level" 20-year-old high school graduate rookie takes charge of Korea's first game! Kim Min-jun, with 9 wins, makes his debut at Tokyo Dome; Japan wary of Kim Do-young and Ahn Hyun-min [2026 APBC]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

A high school graduate rookie who recorded 9 wins in his first professional season will take the mound as the starting pitcher in the first game of an international tournament while wearing the national team badge. Kim Min-jun (20, SSG Landers), who is set to shoulder the future of Korean baseball, has been entrusted with the important task of securing Korea's first victory at the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC).

The Korean national baseball team, led by Manager Choi Won-ho (53), will play its first game in the 2026 APBC preliminary round-robin against Australia at Tokyo Dome in Japan at 12:00 p.m. on the 12th.

A bold choice was made from the very first game. At an official press conference on the 11th, Manager Choi named Kim Min-jun as the starting pitcher for the match against Australia. According to the Taiwanese media outlet Liberty Times, Manager Choi explained the reason for his selection by stating, "The first game is always the most difficult. Among the seven starting pitcher candidates, I chose the player who showed the most stable pitching in the KBO League."

Kim Min-jun is a rookie who emerged like a comet this year. He had received nationwide attention since his days at Daegu High School for his game management skills and strikeout ability. As a third-year high school student, he appeared in 20 games, recording a 10-0 record with an ERA of 2.16, and struck out 104 batters over 78⅔ innings. His strikeouts per nine innings reached 11.9. As a result, he was selected fifth overall in the first round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft to join SSG, and before his debut, in November last year, he also received the Grand Prize in the baseball category at the "2025 Futures Star Awards" hosted by StarNews.

Although his start was delayed due to injury in his first professional season this year, he has consistently maintained his spot in the starting rotation since debuting in the first division in June. In 17 regular season games, he recorded a 9-3 record with an ERA of 3.56, striking out 76 batters over 91 innings. Notably, in a game against the Samsung Lions on August 18 last month, he pitched six innings while allowing one run, becoming the fourth high school graduate rookie in KBO League history to achieve five consecutive Quality Starts (QS: at least six innings and three or fewer earned runs as a starter).

He also received high praise from his team's manager early on. SSG Manager Lee Seung-yong named Kim Min-jun as the second starter, ahead of foreign pitchers, in August last month, stating, "Kim Min-jun's game management is close to a Veteran level. I could see him growing steadily, and after watching that game, I became confident." Now, just over five months after his professional debut, Kim Min-jun faces another test as a national team starting pitcher. It carries special significance given that he has been entrusted with the most important first game for the national team as well.

Korea aims for its first-ever championship in this tournament. The team reached the finals in both the inaugural 2017 tournament and the 2023 edition, but lost to Japan, settling for second place. In particular, in the 2023 final, they lost 3-4 after a close game that went into extra innings, ending in the 10th inning.

The first opponent, Australia, is no pushover either. In the 2023 tournament, Korea also narrowly defeated Australia 3-2 after a fierce battle that went to extra-inning tiebreakers. The current Australian national team includes catcher Alex Hall, who has experience playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), as well as promising players from the U.S. minor leagues. The starting pitcher announced by Australia is Adam Bates of the Boston Red Sox organization.

In the batting lineup, Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) and Ahn Hyun-min (23, KT Wiz) are drawing attention. On the 10th, Japanese baseball specialist media outlet "Koukoya.com" introduced the list of 28 members of the Korean national team and named the two players as key targets to watch. Koukoya.com described Ahn Hyun-min as a big slugger who hit 22 home runs last year and won Rookie of the Year, and who also has WBC experience. Regarding Kim Do-young, the outlet expressed expectations by describing him as a power-hitting prospect who recorded 38 home runs in 2024.

This tournament is considered an important opportunity to discover the core players for the next generation of the national team ahead of next year's Premier 12 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. After finishing their game against Australia, Korea will face arch-rival Japan at 7:00 p.m. on the 13th, followed by Taiwan at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th. The top two teams from the preliminary round will compete for the championship in the final on the 15th. Kim Min-jun's result in his first appearance is expected to be a crucial starting point for Korea's challenge for its first title as well.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original