Did you see that, boys? Overcoming the retirement crisis, 40 SV was thrilled, and my dad kept the No. 1 ranking in LG alone

May 18, 2025

LG Twins Kim Jin-sung is looking proudly at his sons Riho (left) and Minchan. Jamsil = Reporter Kim Min-kyung

LG Twins Kim Jin-sung (center) joined his sons Minchan (left) and Riho (right) at the first pitch hitting event ahead of the Jamsil KT Wiz match on the 18th. Supplied by LG Twins

"I was under a lot of pressure. You have to throw it well in front of your family. I have to show my pride."

LG Twins veteran must-winner Kim Jin-sung (40) was particularly nervous ahead of the game against the KT Wiz in Jamsil on the 18th. This is because their two sons, Minchan and Riho, visited the stadium to pitch and hit the first pitch. Of course, on the day his two sons came to pray for victory, his father wanted to show a great performance on the mound.

Kim Jin-sung took the mound in relief in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases. Kim Jin-sung put out the urgent fire by treating kt slugger Mel Rojas Jr. with a ground ball to the first base. It was a valuable result of throwing two fork balls in a row. Kim Jin-sung, who also took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, handled three batters neatly without shaking at all. He struck out Kang Baek-ho with a swing and miss, Kim Sang-soo with a fly ball to center field, and Chun Sung-ho with a fly ball to left field.

Kim Jin-sung pitched 11 balls in one ⅓ inning, leading LG to 30 wins (16 losses) with no hits, no four outs, no strikeouts, and no runs. He also made 40 saves in his career with his first save of the season.

Since he was a pitcher who suffered from being released three times, 40 saves seems more valuable to Kim Jin-sung. After graduating from Seongnam High School, he was nominated by the SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) in 2004, but was released in 2006 without a chance to take the first team, and when he joined the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) in 2010 as a nurturing player, he was notified of his release without taking the mound in the first team. He wore his third professional uniform when he passed the tryout hosted by the new NC Dinos in 2011, and he wanted to blossom late with 32 wins, 67 holds, 34 saves, 494 ⅔ innings and an ERA of 4.57 in nine seasons from 2013 to 2021, but he was released again after the 2021 season amid NC's veteran cleanup stance.

In the crisis of retirement, LG reached out when Kim Jin-sung called virtually all clubs except NC and looked for opportunities. Kim Jin-sung, who has barely survived, has added 60 holds and five saves for LG over the past three seasons, and has been playing a key role in the bullpen, including 13 holds and one save this year. Thanks to this, he was able to surpass the 40 save mark that he did not achieve when he was a NC closer.

Kim Jin-sung's sons, Min-chan and Ri-ho, couldn't leave their seats next to each other throughout the broadcast interview, perhaps proud of their father. In an interview with reporters, when his two sons tried to be together, his father, who was rather embarrassed, even urged him to "Let's go to mom now".

KBO League LG and SSG match held at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd. LG Kim Jin-sung, who is being replaced with a runner left in the seventh inning. Jamsil=Song Jeong-heon, reporter song@sportschosun.com/2025.05.03/

The match between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 25th. LG Kim Jin-sung is pitching hard. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.25/

Kim Jin-sung added "It was a lot of pressure. I have to throw well in front of my family, but I have to show my pride. Also, yesterday (17th) the result was bad, so I think throwing more concentration came out as a good result. Catcher (Park) Dong-won knows me well. "I think it was good to throw as the lead is good because I'm good at leading."

He didn't coach the children separately ahead of the first pitch and hitters. Kim Jin-sung said "He was practicing the first pitch at home, but I didn't teach him. I thought it would be better for children to pitch like children, so I didn't teach them much. Just 'Throw whatever you want to throw ' and smiled.

Even this season, when he is 40 years old, Kim Jin-sung is still establishing himself as an indispensable being in the LG bullpen. Kim Jin-sung, who holds out healthy, feels more valuable as the team's core bullpens, such as Ham Deok-ju, Yoo Young-chan, and Kim Kang-ryul, have been away due to injuries and sluggishness.

Regarding continuing his stable pitching this year, Kim Jin-sung said "Dongwon seems to know me well this year." It seems that they are good at analyzing fork balls and how to use them to suit the type. Since Dongwon is so good at analyzing power, he can throw it according to Dongwon's lead. I feel this while pitching these days, but doesn't Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) play well in a physical fight. Dongwon seems to be no less than that. The season when I feel like I know really well about myself..." he said, giving credit to the master of the house.

Regarding the injury gap of his teammates, "It's not a burden, but there are still several pitchers other than me." I believe he will make his share clear. So it's not a burden. There are a lot of good juniors, so if you're not good enough, I can fill it up a little more, and if it's not me, the juniors fill it up. I don't really think about 'What should I do?'"I believe in my teammates as I do now, and I will try to win again in 2023."