Kim Min (24), a former first-round pick who was selected as Um Sang-baek’s substitute starter, again caused trouble for KT’s starting baseball. He was substituted after three innings in three consecutive games, adding to manager Lee Kang-chul’s worries in an already tight schedule.

Kim Min started Game 14 of the season against Hanwha in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 18th, and lost his second loss (no win) in the season due to three innings, three hits (one homer), one walk, two strikeouts, four runs (two earned runs).

As usual, the start was neat. In the first inning, Lee Jin-young, Moon Hyun-bin, and Noh Si-hwan faced Hanwha’s top batters in the order of three outs in 11 pitches, including one strikeout. On top of that, in the second inning, the allocation team even got one point of support by hitting an RBI first timely hit.

However, he did not get help from the fielders who were on defense in the second inning. Kim Min induced leaders Nick Williams and Kim Tae-yeon to hit ground balls in succession, but second baseman Lee Ho-yeon and third baseman Hwang Jae-kyun made a series of catch errors, causing a crisis of second and third bases with no outs. Kim Min gave a 1-2 reversal by hitting one RBI infield grounder in succession by Choi Jae-hoon and Choi In-ho in the bases loaded with no outs, which continued with Kim In-hwan’s walk. 스포츠토토

In the third inning, his concentration was disappointing after two outs. With Noh Si-hwan on base with a left-handed hit in the first pitch, Williams allowed a two-run shot to the left. The 144km fastball thrown from the ball count 1B-1S headed over the fence. His third homer of the season.

Kim Min continued to be in crisis with a double against Kim Tae-yeon, but he struck out Kim In-hwan with three pitches and prevented additional runs.

Kim Min, who reached 77 pitches, was replaced by Joo Kwon in the fourth inning, trailing 1-4, and suffered another bitter taste of the early steel plate.

Kim Min, who received the first nomination in 2018, has been wandering in the bullpen this year, his sixth year as a professional, and joined the starting rotation since early this month due to Um Sang-baek’s injury.

However, after losing in three innings, six hits, two walks, three strikeouts and six runs (five earned) against Gocheok KT on the 3rd, his first game since joining the starting lineup, he was prematurely substituted for five hits, three outs, one strikeout and five runs in three innings against Suwon SSG on the 9th.

There was no reversal on the day, his third start. He passed the mound after three innings in three consecutive games, failing to fill Um Sang-baek’s gap. During this period, the ERA reached 12.00 (12 earned runs in 9 innings).

Second-place KT eventually lost 2-6 to Hanwha, and at the same time, the gap with the leading LG widened to 6.5 games, and at the same time, it was chased by third-place NC by one game. It was the result of the first nomination rising star’s below-expected pitching.