You're gonna eat up the league with this gutsKIA's bold 19-year-old rookie, I don't think I'll lose strength, 150km next time he takes the mound

Aug 21, 2025

You're gonna eat up the league with this gutsKIA's bold 19-year-old rookie, I don't think I'll lose strength, 150km next time he takes the mound
photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers



"I'll shoot 150km for the next game."

KIA Tigers lost 1-6 against Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 20th, but it was not without income. In the top of the last ninth inning, right-hander Kim Jung-yeop, a high school graduate rookie, made his professional debut. And he pitched confidently and allowed no runs in one inning. After graduating from Busan High School, KIA was nominated in the fifth round of this year's rookie draft.

Coach Lee Bum-ho, who met ahead of the match against Kiwoom on the 21st, said of Kim Jung-yeop's pitch, "There seemed to be distribution." He had good pitching and looked quite good against the batter" he complimented.




How is he looking back on his first professional debut.

Kim Jung-yeop, whom I met a day after my debut, said "I thought my muscles would stick together a lot, but it's better than I thought. I can throw it today, too"He looked bright. Now just like a 19-year-old young man.

Asked if he was nervous "I was very nervous in the bullpen. However, when he got off the automatic tooth (which moved him from the bullpen to the mound) and went up to the mound, the tension was rather relieved. It was okay when I threw the ball." Then "Chogu saw his most confident fastball in the middle and decided to throw it with all his might." The ball was high, but it was fun to get a strike", he explained.




You're gonna eat up the league with this gutsKIA's bold 19-year-old rookie, I don't think I'll lose strength, 150km next time he takes the mound
photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers
He dealt with a mistake after a game of up to 10 pitches against the first batter, Park Joo-hong. Next up is Song Sung-moon, one of the best hitters in the current league. Kim Jung-yeop `was in a state of exhaustion because he caught the first batter with difficulty. However, Song Sung-moon was a hitter who I really wanted to play against, so I wanted to catch him somehow. So I played with confidence. I was able to make the next pitch comfortably by catching it with four balls" he said.

KIA sent three promising players, including Kim Jung-yeop, who is fast in ball speed but has weaknesses in breaking ball control and control, to the U.S. Academy this summer. Kim Jung-yup "That's where I made a routine for pitching, and I adjusted my balance. In particular, he changed the slider to a sweeper throw. It was an opportunity to learn a lot."

However, the maximum speed of his debut game was only 148 kilometers. Kim Jung-yeop said, `I can throw more than 150 kilometers in the next race. Yesterday, I threw too much out of the bullpen. "I threw too much and got tired of my first batter..." he said, giving a laugh. Perhaps because of the tension, he threw more than 20 pitches from the bullpen.




"Straightforward is the strength. And Kim Jung-yeop, who confidently said, `I felt very different from high school when I faced first-team hitters, but I thought I wouldn't be pushed back. Originally, my dream was to be a starter, but now I will learn step by step from the bullpen. I learn a lot from watching Jeon Sang-hyun. The goal is to pitch 20 innings for the rest of the season and to enter the entry when the team goes to fall baseball."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.