Seoul: Doosan Bears closer Kim Taek-yeon has had an up-and-down sophomore campaign, marked by his seven blown saves -- already two more than all of last season, when he won the Rookie of the Year award in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The most recent one came against the SSG Landers on Sunday, when the 20-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while retiring just one batter in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim's ERA sits at 3.48, 1.40 points higher than last season. Though Kim's strikeout rate is slightly up, so is his walk rate. He has also allowed four homers in 51 2/3 innings, two more than he surrendered in 65 innings in 2024. The Bears' interim manager, Cho Sung-hwan, said Tuesday that Kim is still a work in progress as closer at this level and what he has been experiencing of late is merely part of his growing process.
"I am sure he is getting the sense of how tough it is to be the closer," Cho said in his media scrum before facing the LG Twins at Jamsil baseball Stadium in Seoul. "I hope he comes out of this a better pitcher. I am not about to remove him from the closer role. When a save opportunity comes, I will keep sending him out to the mound."
Cho said he had a long chat with Kim earlier in the day, discussing Kim's struggles against the first batter he faces in each outing. "I got the sense that he feels a lot of stress about retiring the first batter," Cho said. "I've looked into some numbers, and closers on other teams are also having a hard time in the second half. We're trying to see if there are any fatigue-related issues."
On the flip side, another young Bears pitcher, Choi Min-seok, has shown promise as a 19-year-old rookie. In his past three starts, the righty has held opponents to one run in 17 innings with 14 strikeouts against three walks. "I feel like he is almost a complete starting pitcher," Cho said. "It seems like he is completely ignoring the hitters and he is only concentrating on executing his pitches, like he's just out there talking with his catcher. Other teams have been trying to figure him out, but he has met those challenges. It's been great to see."