The San Diego Padres and LA Dodgers hosted a special matchup

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers hosted a special matchup on July 17-18 ahead of the MLB World Tour Seoul Series. The current and future members of the Korean national team tested their skills against the current big leaguers.

Many of the players were not shy in front of the big leaguers and boldly put the ball in play and showed their presence with their swings. Among the pitchers, Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan), the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft, stood out.

Kim entered the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 18 as the team’s fourth pitcher in the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing 2-4. The batters he faced on the mound were all formidable. He faced Teoscar Hernandez, the 2020-2021 American League Silver Slugger of the Year for outfielders, and James Outman, the third-place finisher in the National League Rookie of the Year last year, and struck them out swinging.

He threw 11 pitches, 10 fastballs and one curveball.

His fastball topped out at 93.7 mph (150.7 km/h) and his fastball averaged 92.7 mph (149.1 km/h). Most importantly, his fastball was up to 2483 revolutions per minute (RPM), 토토사이트 which proved that there was more to the ball than meets the eye. He walked off the mound with only two outs, but those two at-bats mesmerized big-league managers and local media. When asked after the game to name one Korean player who impressed him, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “There was a right-hander, and the outman said he pitched really well. He was throwing hard fastballs in the upper part of the strike zone. I thought he had a really good arm. I can’t remember his name exactly,” he said. Everyone thought of Kim.

Even MLB reporter John Morosi, a leading source, wrote on social media, “You have to remember Kim’s name. He showed off a fastball that induces false swings. He could be a notable starting pitcher in the WBC tournament for years to come.

While Kim’s fastball drew rave reviews from Dodgers players and officials, it was Choi Joon-yong (Lotte) who threw the most impressive – and heaviest – pitch in the previous game against the San Diego Padres. Choi took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning and pitched one inning of one-hit ball, striking out 12 and walking none. His fastball was just as dominant as Kim’s, and he frightened the San Diego batters.

He threw five straight fastballs to leadoff hitter Manny Machado and got a low

Body-courting 91.9 mph (147.9 km/h) fastball to strike out the side. He followed that up with a three-pitch fastball to Ha-Sung Kim. The last pitch, a 92.1-mph (148.2-kilometer) fastball with a 2592 RPM, was the one that got Kim to pop out to second base. Two batters later, he fanned Jose Azuca on a fastball that he also flied out to right field.

Since joining Lotte as a first-round pick in 2020, he’s been a pitcher with a great fastball. In particular, he averaged between 2500 and 2600 fastballs per minute. His fastball was not only fast, but also powerful with rotation. However, in recent years, Choi has struggled with nagging injuries in his shoulder, elbow, back, and lower back since joining the organization, and he hasn’t been able to throw the heavy fastball he once had. He even considered switching to a bat in last year’s final camp.

However, the club and others around him seriously advised him to settle down as a pitcher again, and he accepted it. After settling back into pitching, Choi gained confidence as a pitcher by throwing more than 150 kilometers in the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) last year, and showed a competitive performance against big leaguers. These were reminiscent of the old Choi Jun-yong, and now he needs to showcase them in the league. He needs to show the same fastball that stymied superstar Machado, who signed an 11-year, $350 million contract before last season, in a Lotte uniform.

Choi Jun-yong has been trusted by manager Kim Tae-hyung to be the closer this year.

He won’t have to carry the burden alone. In addition to Kim Won-joong as the closer, Koo Seung-min, Kim Sang-soo, Park Jin-hyung, and others will play together in the middle of the order. In two appearances in this year’s tournament, 파워볼실시간 Kim faced six batters in 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and two walks. He didn’t strike out a batter.

The exhibition games and the special match with the major leaguers warmed up for the regular season. “This year, we’re starting from scratch,” Choi said. Since I’m only pitching again, I went back to the way I was when I was 20 years old and practiced the basics. I prepared a lot of pitches centered on my lower body without throwing hard,” Choi said, adding, “The season can only run according to the coach’s scenario if I don’t get sick. “I need to be a pitcher who can go out at any time,” he said, adding, “I want to throw the ball as best as I can for a season without getting sick, because I can only reach my dream of winning the championship if I go to fall baseball this year.” He is preparing for this season.