Teenage Korean pitchers put on dazzling show
Korean baseball fans enjoyed a glimpse of a bright future Monday, with a couple of teenage pitchers combining to striking out three Los Angeles Dodgers hitters in an exhibition game.
Korea might have lost 5-2 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, but they got a small victory within the game, with right-hander Kim Taekyeon and left-hander Hwang Junseo, both 18, flashing the kind of stuff that made them the top two picks at last year’s Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft.
Kim, the No. 2 overall pick by the Doosan Bears, took the mound in the bottom sixth as South Korea’s fourth pitcher of the game. Up against two-time Silver Slugger winner Teoscar Hernandez, Kim threw three straight fastballs, each over 92 miles per hour (mph), to get ahead 1-2 in the count. Hernandez spoiled a 1-2 curveball, and Kim went back to his fastball, this time at 93.7 mph, to strike out Hernandez swinging.
Kim was even more impressive against James Outman. He missed the zone with three straight fastballs, but got two quick strikes to get to full count. Then Kim threw a 92.5 mph fastball up in the zone and Outman whiffed on it for the second out.
With left-handed Jason Heyward on deck, Korea then turned to Hwang, the first overall choice by the Hanwha Eagles. The Dodgers then sent righty Miguel Vargas to pinch hit for Heyward, and Hwang won that battle in four pitches.
Hwang got a called strike with a sinker and threw two straight changeups, the second of which Vargas fouled off.
Then Hwang offered a 91 mph fastball, and Vargas was late on the high pitch. This was a monumental moment for the two teenagers who haven’t even made their KBO regular season debut.
Kim said after the game that his goal was to make his pitches and not shy away from hitters just because they are big leaguers.
“I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have regrets at the end,” Kim said. “I am pretty satisfied that I was able to do just that.”
Kim admitted he was nervous before taking the mound but he was able to settle down after throwing his first pitch to Hernandez.
“I was just trying to focus on executing my pitches and not looking at whoever was in the box,” Kim added.
His strikeout pitch to Outman was over the middle of the plate, but Kim said he wasn’t necessarily trying to challenge the hitter and dare him to hit it.
“I only wanted to test my pitch at that moment,” Kim said. “He had never faced me before and I figured he didn’t have any information on me.
So I think I had an advantage there.”
National team manager Ryu Joong-il had said over the past several days that he wanted the team’s younger players to relish the experience and learn from playing against major league teams. And Kim and Hwang couldn’t have asked for better opportunities than the ones they had Monday.
“I am so proud of Taek-yeon and Jun-seo, after watching them pitch so well in front of such a big crowd,” Ryu said. “I can’t wait to see how they’re going to develop in our league.”