The surprise selection that the master thought was not Um Sang-baek. I thought of a left-handed pitcher, but who really is it?

Aug 09, 2025

The surprise selection that the master thought was not Um Sang-baek. I thought of a left-handed pitcher, but who really is it?
A game between LG and Hanwha at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 8th. Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon watches the players' training. Jamsil = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.08/



The surprise selection that the master thought was not Um Sang-baek. I thought of a left-handed pitcher, but who really is it?
The match between the Hanwha Eagles and the Samsung Lions at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th. Hanwha Um Sang-baek is catching his breath. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.29/
Hanwha Eagles head coach Kim Kyung-moon revealed the behind-the-scenes story about 'surprise selection'.

Manager Kim had been quiet about the selection of the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 9th, and he said "surprise selection," raising the curiosity index of all baseball fans high. The game against LG was more interested because it was a very important game because it was the first and second place match.

There were many expectations about the starting pitcher, but Hanwha's starting pitcher on the 9th, announced after the game on the 8th, is Um Sang-baek. He was a bit discouraged to be a surprise starter.




Coach Kim was honest about his concerns before the game on the 9th.

Manager Kim said, `Now, I was going to throw a left-handed pitcher if I say it in a clear way.' It means that the initial 'surprise selection' was not Um Sang-baek. Manager Kim then said, `But if the player doesn't have a long inning anyway, the bullpen pitchers should continue to go out again.' `So I thought about Hwang Joon-soo and others, and thought that it would be better for the starter to throw, so I decided to give Sang-baek a chance.'

The surprise selection that the master thought was not Um Sang-baek. I thought of a left-handed pitcher, but who really is it?
In the NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 3rd, Kim Bum-soo pitches in the top of the 11th inning. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.3/
The surprise selection that the master thought was not Um Sang-baek. I thought of a left-handed pitcher, but who really is it?
A game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 24th. Hanwha's Kim Bum-soo is regretful after losing a point due to wild pitching. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.24/
What can be inferred from Kim's words is that he planned to have a left-handed pitcher, and that pitcher was not the starting type.

Kwon Min-gyu, Kim Ki-joong, and Kim Bum-soo are the only left-handed pitchers who threw the bullpen in Hanwha this year. Cho Dong-wook has taken the mound in 48 games and has only started once among them.

An official from Hanwha said that Kim Bum-soo was the one that head coach Kim thought of 'surprise selection'.

Kim Bum-soo's last start was on May 26, 2021, when he pitched three innings against Doosan in Jamsil. It was not easy to throw more than three innings because he played the most innings this season as a relief pitcher in two ⅓.




It can be said that manager Kim changed his mind to Um Sang-baek, the starting pitcher, because he thought it was difficult to go to bullpen day because he had a lot of bullpen consumption recently.

Director Kim said, `I hope Sang-baek Um throws it for a long time. I want you to do your part until the fifth inning."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.