Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.

Aug 18, 2025

Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
NC Kim Nok-won interviewed after winning his first win since debut. Reporter Kim Young-rok



Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
The NC-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 12th. Kim Nok-won took the mound as NC's starting pitcher. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.12/
Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
photo courtesy of NC Dinos
He enjoyed his first win in four years since his professional debut. It is also a starting win against the Hanwha Eagles, who are competing for the lead.

NC Dinos' Kim Nok-won looked bright. Kim Nok-won led his team to a 9-4 victory by pitching hard with one run in five innings against Hanwha in Changwon on the 17th.

Except for the third inning, when one run was allowed, even though there were walks and hits, he threw well without any special crisis. It was a great help that the batters scored seven points and widened the gap by taking advantage of the opponent's stormy mistakes until the second inning.




However, Hanwha was also full of players. As soon as Kim Nok-won was replaced, he caught up with two points in the sixth inning and one point in the seventh inning. NC bench secured Kim Nok-won's victory with certainty by utilizing the must-win group and finish.

Kim Nok-won, whom I met after the game, said "I felt it was really difficult to win first time. It took a long time, I've been trying many things, but I'm happy that it's led to a good result."

Kim Nok-won, from Gwangju Jeil High School, a prestigious baseball team, is from the 2022 draft, which is considered a golden draft. Selected by NC in the second third round (30th overall).




On the one hand, I had no choice but to be somewhat depressed by the prestige of my colleagues. In the understanding Gwangju area, two national-gu prospects came out. It was Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) and Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) who were "the second Lee Jong-beom". It was difficult to draw attention together because Moon Dong-ju was a Gwangju Jinheung High School and Kim Do-young was a Gwangju Dongseong High School.

Kim Nok-won was also a prospect with stable ball control, breaking balls, and flexible pitching form on a fastball in the mid-140km range, but baseball's attention was inevitably focused on the two friends.

Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
The NC-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 12th. NC starter Kim Nok-won is disappointed after finishing the first inning with one run. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.12/
After his debut, he hit a professional wall. In addition to Moon Dong-joo and Kim Do-young, Lee Byung-hun (Doosan Bears), Park Young-hyun, Ahn Hyun-min (KT Wiz), Joo Seung-woo (Kium Heroes), Lee Min-seok, Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants), Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Young-woong (Samsung Lions) were all-time rich. Yoon Do-hyun (KIA), who played together at Gwangju Jeil High School, also impressed on the professional stage.




On the other hand, Kim Nok-won was not easily given a chance to take the mound in the first team. Eventually, he joined the military in May 2023 and quickly resolved the military problem.

He made his professional debut as a starter against Lotte in Busan on May 4 this year. And he finally won his first game in his 15th appearance (10 starts). NC manager Lee Ho-joon also congratulated Kim Nok-won on his first win. A day that will be a great asset for a player's life," he said.

"The director always throws it confidently. Don't cry on the mound. Today, I just threw back 'confidently'. In particular, he focused as much as he could on the body side. I was surprised that the slider didn't go well, but I'm glad the changeup worked well."

Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
photo courtesy of NC Dinos
Kim Nok-won thanked the batters for scoring enough points in the early stages, while "(Kim) Hyung-jun said 'Don't keep throwing it, but just one-bound is okay, so the ball??Ryeo' said something stingingly. "(At the last strikeout), I threw with all my strength thinking, 'It's the last ball today' on the high ball sign."

After the fifth inning, coach Lee Yong-hoon also said, `When you stand on the mound, you are the leader. "Trust yourself like today and act like a captain in your next appearance," he said. "At the end of the day, my problem was mental," said Kim Nok-won. I've heard a lot of 'Be proud of your credit' and today's words have become a reality, he said with a smile.

Regarding Kim Nok-won, an NC official said, `He is an exemplary player who showed outstanding self-management even during the Futures period.' `In the spring camp ahead of this season, his pitching balance improved and his speed and ball naturally improved. The maximum fastball speed improved by 3-4 kilometers from before military service. Up to 149km", he introduced.

Then "Using the left and right cornerwork, he pitches aggressively." In particular, he is a pitcher who can throw his body confidently. The main breaking ball is a change-up, but the slider and curve are also good."

Gwangju boy buried in Moon Kim Dae-jeon → First victory in 4 years...I want to brag to my grandfather.
photo courtesy of NC Dinos
When asked who he wanted to convey the emotion of his first victory, he said "I want to brag to my family, especially my grandfather, that my grandson is so good."

"My grandfather always came to the scene to cheer for me whenever I had a match in elementary, middle and high school. Now that you are old, you watch it on TV at home, but...I wanted to say thank you to my grandfather who loved me more than anyone else when I got a chance someday. We want to be firmly established as a native starter for our team for the rest of the season. A hard-won opportunity, I will hold on tightly and not let go."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.