Shock 154km fastball prospect retirement announcement, director must be very courageous and supportive

Sep 24, 2025

Shock 154km fastball prospect retirement announcement, director must be very courageous and supportive
A game between the Doosan Bears and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd. KIA Hong Won-bin is pitching hard. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.03/



"I think we should cheer for them." What a courage."

KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho cheered for the future of right-handed fastball pitcher Hong Won-bin, who decided to retire ahead of the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes match on the 24th.

Hong Won-bin reportedly announced his intention to retire to the club this month. Hong Won-bin was a top prospect who graduated from Deoksu High School and joined KIA as the 10th overall pick in the second round of the rookie draft in 2019. With a height of 195 centimeters and a weight of 101 kilograms, his physical condition was outstanding, and his maximum fastball speed was 154 kilometers, so the club had high expectations. As I was 25 years old this year, I felt a little premature to give up.




The problem was control. The ball was fast, but it was difficult to give a chance in the first team because it was not zeroed. From 2019 to this year, he pitched in 59 games in the Futures League and recorded 145 four pitches. There were 64 strikeouts. This is the decisive reason why he never took the mound in the first division until last year. His overall ERA in the second division is 10.86 (115 earned runs in 95 ⅓ innings).

However, Hong Won-bin was very determined to retire. The club tried to catch it somehow, but eventually decided to respect the player's will.

A Kia official said, `We recently decided. He explained that he was such a sincere player that the club dissuaded him several times, and both the players and their parents said they wanted to study sports abroad."




Although he has not succeeded as a professional player, paying attention to Hong Won-bin's personal life can mark a major turning point. This year, in his seventh year as a professional, he also received the lowest annual salary of 30 million won according to league regulations. Even considering the quality of life, the current decision can be more beneficial.

Shock 154km fastball prospect retirement announcement, director must be very courageous and supportive
The Hanwha-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 18th. Coach Lee Bum-ho is watching the game. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.18/
Shock 154km fastball prospect retirement announcement, director must be very courageous and supportive
A game between the Doosan Bears and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd. Colleagues are congratulating KIA Hong Won-bin, who made his debut. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.03/
Director Lee did not have a conversation with Hong Won-bin. I think he told me through the club (that he is retiring). I think I've been dissuaded a few times because I said I wanted to study sports, but I think I should support you. It's very difficult to give up what you've been playing baseball for a long time and try another challenge. It is a great courage to be able to go abroad and study. Even if you are not a baseball player, you can go to a sports professor or something like this. I hope you study hard and become a good sports person``.

Still, Hong Won-bin poured everything into the end of this year and took off his uniform. It started with a short-term training trip in the U.S. at his own expense in the off-season. Even though it cost about 15 million won, he decided to go to the U.S. because he needed a turning point.




Thanks to the effect of studying abroad, Hong Won-bin will finally be able to take the mound for his dream team this year. He was registered in the first team on May 30 and made his debut against the Doosan Bears on June 3 and scored one run in one inning. On June 10, he received another chance against the Samsung Lions, but he collapsed by allowing one hit, three walks and four runs in two ⅔ innings. Hong Won-bin's first-team career ended with two games.

Until last month, Hong Won-bin continued to play in Futures League games and aimed for an opportunity to register for the first team. His performance this season was 28 games, 3 wins, 3 losses, 6 saves, 1 hold, 23 ⅔ innings, and an ERA of 5.70. The ball control problem finally hampered him, and Hong Won-bin made a bold decision for his second life.

Shock 154km fastball prospect retirement announcement, director must be very courageous and supportive
The KIA Tigers team held spring camp training at Kinbaseball Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 23rd. Hong Won-bin, who is training to catch long toss. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Song Jeong-heon songs@sportschosun.com /2019.02.23/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.