Lotte Giants right-handed pitcher Kim Do-gyu (24) showed his presence this year. It has been 4 years since he joined Lotte in the 23rd rank of the 2nd 3rd round in 2018. He debuted in the first team last year and faced his professional stage for the first time, and this season he went from the pursuit group to the winning group. Although he suffered from an elbow injury, he is showing himself pitching on the mound again while undergoing a steady rehabilitation process after surgery.
Looking back on this year, Kim Do-gyu said, “I debuted last year. I was so busy that I didn’t know how time passed. But this year, I felt that I had grown a step higher than last year. From the process of preparing for the game to throwing the ball from the mound, everything It seems to have freed up a little bit,” he said.
Even at the beginning of the season, Kim Do-gyu showed the best pitching. He played in 28 games in the first half, recording 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 holds with an ERA of 1.21, revitalizing the Lotte bullpen. He drove the momentum and established himself as a sure-win group in the 토토사이트 second half, digesting 9⅔ innings in 11 games for the month of August, and made a big success with 1 win, 3 holds, 3 saves and an average ERA of 1.86.
However, in September, there were more days of conceding. He had scoreless games, of course, but there were also games where he was hit hard. In September, Kim Do-gyu recorded an average ERA of 12.96 with 1 win, 2 holds and 1 loss in 11 games.
Kim Do-gyu said, “In the beginning of the season, the number of walks was greatly reduced. In the past, the perfection of the breaking ball fell, but this year, the control of the breaking ball improved. I liked the splitter, which was used as a deciding ball after the 2nd strike. He came in. I remember being hit a lot. I conceded a lot while doing that,” he said, revealing the reason for his sluggish performance at the end of the season.
Elbow injuries were also a problem. Kim Do-gyu was canceled from the first team entry due to elbow pain once during the season. He continued to run through elbow pain. The maximum velocity of the fastball, which exceeded 150 km, also fell to the 140 km range. He ended up on the operating table after his season.
Kim Do-gyu said, “I had a severe elbow injury in August. Because the season was good, I wanted to do it until the end. After discussion with the training part, I made a plan to reorganize in the 2nd team and complete the rest of the season. Because the performance was so good, I stopped halfway. It was regrettable. I don’t regret the decision I made at that time. Rather, I think it was a good thing.”
Kim Do-kyu, who has completed his elbow surgery, is sweating to stand on the mound again. He also set specific goals that he would like to achieve next year. He said, “I wanted to throw 60 innings in 60 games this year. I will set the same goal next year. I want to play a lot in any game. I will do my best as a bullpen pitcher.”