"Like machine-like Japanese pitchers"...'153km' to Kim Yoo-seong's fastball, will it stick?

Kim Yoo-sung (21-Doosan Bears) has moved beyond a challenging first season and is starting to find his groove on the first team mound.

Kim was an early draftee in the 2023 KBO Draft while still a student at Korea University and was selected in the second round with the 19th overall pick.

It was a lower pick than he expected, and an earlier pick than he expected. As a high school senior, Kim was drafted by the NC Dinos in the first round, only to have his name withdrawn after a bullying controversy surfaced, and it wasn't until two years later that he became a draftee again. Based on his talent alone, he wasn't a pitcher worthy of a late second-round pick. However, with the controversy still unresolved, it was a matter of who would draft him, and Doosan, desperate for a top prospect, took the risk.

The pressure was on, but he made it to the professional mound. With his past issues behind him, he worked his way into the starting rotation for the second team and made his first-team debut. In 18 games (8 starts) in the second team, he went 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA. He also made his first-team debut, but was held to a 9.95 ERA in seven games and six and one-third innings. He struggled against first-team hitters because he couldn't get strikes on his fastball, which reached nearly 150 mph.

Coming off an eventful 2023, Kim is looking to fulfill his potential in his sophomore year. After participating in an instructional league in Miyazaki, Japan, after the season, he is currently in the team's final camp at Icheon Bears Park.

When we caught up with him in Icheon on June 6, he talked about his performance in the training league and pointed out his release points. "Japanese pitchers angle their pitches like a machine from the catch and throw consistently," he said, "and I wanted to try to emulate that." "It worked better than I thought, so I've been paying attention to it from the catch," he explained.

"It's not easy to copy the pitching form, so I thought I'd try it while paying attention to the routine first," said Kim Yoo-sung. "I have a good release point. My body stabilized and the shaking decreased. The changeup goes in better because I have a good release point. Now that I have a good release point, I can be more conscious about tunneling my pitches."

If he can get the release point right, Kim's fastball, which has been up to 153 km/h this year, could gain momentum. The stabilization of his pitching form will be beneficial, as the issues that plagued him were technical, not mental. "When I wasn't pitching well this year, my body would turn sideways and my arm would swing from side to side," Kim said. Next year, the problem will likely be solved.

Of course, his mental game was also limited in his first year as a pro. When I asked Kim about his debut on April 28, he said, "I was very nervous going up to the first team mound. There were a lot of fans, so I felt like I had to show something," he said. "My coach told me to throw as if I was learning a lot, and I got better. I tried not to be nervous because there was a score difference at the time, but I couldn't help it. I was so nervous that I don't even remember it." 보스토토

He doesn't have his sights set on a position for next year. Her goal is to become a first-team pitcher. "Next year, I want to be a starter, bullpen, or any other position. In the first team, Jamsil