"There's no reason not to change it." Even the released brother's share, 44 times, and a new start...Ryu Hyun-jin also shot Kim Seo-hyun
"There's no reason not to change it." Even the released brother's share, 44 times, and a new start...Ryu Hyun-jin also shot Kim Seo-hyun
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"I heard you look good, too."
Kim Seo-hyun (21), pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles, changed his uniform number for the new season to 44. Taking off the number 54, which he had been using for two years after joining the team, wearing the number 44 was his intention for his brother, who is six years older.
Kim Seo-hyun's older brother is Kim Ji-hyun, a catcher from Sorae High School and Inha University, who joined SSG last year after playing for the Goyang Winners of the independent baseball team. However, he was released after playing in only one game in the Futures League. Kim Seo-hyun, who always checked out SSG Futures games hoping that his older brother would do well, was also disappointed.
At the Premier 12 national team held in November last year, Kim Seo-hyun threw with his brother's uniform number 44. As if to be with his brother, he participated in his first adult international competition and displayed strong impressions by pitching four innings, three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Naturally, he grew attached to the number 44, and Hanwha also decided to wear the number.
"I wasn't going to change the number 54, but I wore the number 44 (from Premier 12), and the result turned out great," Kim Seo-hyun said. "I had no reason not to use the number because it seemed to be in good spirits," and added, "I also thought the number 44 suits you. I will continue to use the number 44 if possible."
The new numbers also raise expectations for Kim Seo-hyun of the 2025 season. Ryu, who has become the oldest player in the Hanwha Eagles, has also picked Kim several times as one of the most anticipated players in his team this year. "I think I gained a lot of confidence from the second half of the year to the Premier 12," Ryu said of Kim Seo-hyun, who appeared on a personal broadcast run by Lee Dae-ho last month. "I think it would be better if I do it more confidently."
Kim Seo-hyun, who joined Hanwha as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023, had high expectations as a fireballer who sprayed 160km/h fastballs. He suffered growing pains due to poor ball control in his first year, but he started to display his potential by playing with 43 ERAs with one win, two losses and 10 holds in 37 games (38 ⅓ innings) last year.
In the early days of the season, he played in the second division due to trial and error in which he lowered his ball control in order to catch the ball amid frequent changes in his pitching form. However, after Kim Kyung-moon and pitching coach Yang Sang-moon, he regained mental strength and improved dramatically as a must-win group in a short period of time, fixing them with one form. All 10 holds were recorded in the second half of the season.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who also appeared in the TVING Perfect League 2024, said, "I had a hard time before Seo-hyun briefly went down to the second division. I had a lot of thoughts," adding, "I had been good with that form for a few days, but I changed my form by saying, 'My body is out of balance.' He said, 'You can't do that. I hope I can continue with one form.'
Kim Seo-hyun also saw Ryu's expectations and requests. "It's good that Ryu Hyun-jin described me as a player that he is looking forward to. We have to live up to what you expected," he said, expressing his responsibility, saying, "I am properly focusing on exercising during the offseason with the mindset that I need to do better." 메이저사이트
He has also set specific goals for the new season. "In my personal record, I want to reduce my earned run average (ERA) below the three-point range by reducing the number of losses and making more holds. I can say that I did a better job than last year," he said. "A must-win pitcher usually throws 60-70 innings, but I think he should throw that much. I pitched 60 to 70 innings for two years (in the first team) since joining the team. If I throw 60-70 innings this year, I think it will help my team as well."
Kim Seo-hyun pitched a total of 60 ⅔ innings for two years, 22 ⅓ innings in 2023 and 38 ⅓ innings last year in the first division. He aims to contribute to the team by throwing more than 60 innings at a time this year. The 70 innings that he has set as his biggest goal is the high point that only nine bullpen pitchers reached the milestone last year. In the Hanwha Eagles, closer Joo Hyun-sang (71 ⅓ innings) was the only one who pitched more than 70 innings. If Kim throws that much this year, the burden on other Hanwha bullpen pitchers will be greatly reduced.