62kg Fostering Catcher → 85kg Pitcher Transformation It's already 30, so I'm even more desperate. It's the last time of every game.

Apr 16, 2025

62kg Fostering Catcher → 85kg Pitcher Transformation It's already 30, so I'm even more desperate. It's the last time of every game.
Kim Kang-hyun for the interview. Sports Chosun DB



62kg Fostering Catcher → 85kg Pitcher Transformation It's already 30, so I'm even more desperate. It's the last time of every game.
A game between the LG Twins and the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Stadium on the 22nd. Lotte's Kim Kang-hyun is pitching hard. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.22/
It is enough time for the catcher, who has been on the professional stage for 11 years and 62kg, to transform into a 'pitcher' with a solid 85kg physique.

Lotte Giants' Kim Kang-hyun (30), who joined as a nurturing player in 2015, has already turned 30. At a considerable age, he is belatedly seeing light in the first team.

He plays the role of a "madangsoe" who doesn't mind from the winning team to the chasing team. But Kim Kang-hyun is happy now.




He was once released and returned to Lotte as a nurturing player in 2020 after serving in the military. Kim Kang-hyun's record as a catcher was only four at-bats in five games in 2020, one walk without a hit, and two pictures.

The pitcher conversion, which has been prepared since around 2021, has become a stroke of genius. Kim Kang-hyun's career, which began in 2023, broke the record with an ERA of 3.55 in 26 games and 25 ⅓ innings last year. This year, he has played nine games and eight ⅓ innings, playing the same role as Altoran with a 2.16 ERA.

Kim Kang-hyun, who met at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 15th, said "I tried hard to gain weight in high school, but it didn't go well…Now I went up to 85kg and lost some weight. I'm focused on taking good care of my body throughout the season."




62kg Fostering Catcher → 85kg Pitcher Transformation It's already 30, so I'm even more desperate. It's the last time of every game.
The KBO League exhibition game between Lotte and LG held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 11th. Lotte's Kim Kang-hyun is pitching. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.11/
Contrary to pre-season expectations, he failed to join the first-team spring camp. Still, he steadily trained himself and waited for the opportunity, and he joined the first team during the exhibition game and has been in charge of one of the pillars of Lotte's first-team bullpen since the opening game. Manager Kim Tae-hyung also expressed deep trust, saying, `Except for Chung Chul-won at this point, the pitchers who can be used in the bullpen are Park Jin, Chung Hyun-soo, Song Jae-young, and Kim Kang-hyun.'

This year is the first time he has been named in the opening entry, and this is the second time he has stayed in the first team this long after last year. Regarding his determination to take the mound, Kim Kang-hyun said, `My goal is to throw my ball without regret. I throw it with the determination that every game is the last, and I think I get a good result."

Kim Kang-hyun said, `In fact, I was half-hearted when I first started. I haven't played a pitcher since elementary school, but when I asked him to pitch because he had good shoulders, he said. "I think he recognized how he likes to throw balls, not just catch balls. I think it's a good thing I did it now," he smiled.




A professional is a victor who survives. Lotte rookies who joined at the time in 2015 include Kang Tae-yul (first round), Ahn Tae-kyung, Cha Jae-yong, Jeon Byung-woo, Seok Ji-hyung, and Kim Dae-ryuk, Bae Je-sung. Among them, the players who have a distinctly better first-team career than Kim Kang-hyun are Bae Je-sung and Jeon Byung-woo. Even so, all of them are achievements after leaving Lotte.

62kg Fostering Catcher → 85kg Pitcher Transformation It's already 30, so I'm even more desperate. It's the last time of every game.
KBO League SSG and Lotte match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 27th. Lotte's Kim Kang-hyun pitching. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.27/
Kim Kang-hyun asks a lot of questions to pitchers, from pitching to physical care. In particular, a lot of pitchers helped me when I practiced sliders, and even now, (Kim) Sang-soo, (former) Seung-min, (Kim) Won-joong, and (Park) Si-young are getting a lot of help"I'm not satisfied yet. The goal is to become a pitcher who can play in a winning game and to record a lot of records."

What are the advantages of a catcher-turned-pitcher. Kim Kang-hyun said, `I think I have more time to look around. "Bunt defense is also an advantage," he said with a smile.

The result of hard work is revealed in numbers. The maximum speed of the fastball, which was 140 kilometers away, has now risen to 145 kilometers. Sliders and other breaking balls are also sharpening. Kim Kang-hyun cited playing consistently in the first team without injury and throwing more than 60 to 70 games as his goals this season. Kim Kang-hyun said, `If I become that pitcher, my team will be on the fall baseball stage. I really want to be in the fall baseball entry"I'm determined.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.