The special assignment given to the team as a substitute selection was fulfilled perfectly this time as well.
KIA Tigers Kim Geon-guk (35) fought hard against the NC Dinos, laying the foundation for the team to escape their second consecutive loss. In the NC game held at Changwon NC Park on the 26th, Kim Geon-guk recorded 5 hits, 4 walks, no walks, 2 strikeouts, and 1 run in 4⅔ innings. The total number of pitches is 71.
Kim Geon-guk gave up 2 hits to the NC batting line until the 3rd inning, but kept them scoreless. He showed an unrivaled performance in a face-to-face match with Eric Peddy, NC’s ace who is ranked number one in wins in the KBO League (19 wins).
Based on Kim Geon-guk’s fight, KIA succeeded in taking the lead by scoring the first run to Peddie in the top of the 4th inning. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Kim Geon-guk allowed the game to be tied with consecutive hits from Park Min-woo and Park Geon-woo, but after that, he steadily accumulated outs and did not give up a comeback. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, he allowed a hit that passed the shortstop, allowing him to get on base, and then handed the mound over to Dae-yu Kim. As Kim Dae-yu filled the last out count with a check ball, Kim Geon-guk was able to end the game that day without conceding any additional runs.스포츠토토
Kim Geon-guk, who was released from the Lotte Giants after the 2021 season, joined KIA after going through an entrance test ahead of this season. Due to his considerable age, his chances of success were questioned, but he continued to receive selection training in the Futures (Second Division) League. He showed good performance in two substitute selection opportunities in July, and after a period of reorganization, he is performing replacement selection duties again starting this month. On the 10th, against LG in Gwangju, he contributed to the team’s 8-7 victory with 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 5 runs in 4⅓ innings, and also contributed to escaping a losing streak by performing his duties perfectly in the NC game. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk said after the game, “I expected it to be a difficult game as the opposing team’s ace was on the mound, but Kim Geon-guk made the game evenly level until the 5th inning and was able to win today’s game. Although he did not become the winning pitcher, he did his best. He praised him, saying, “He fulfilled his role 100%.”
After the game, Kim Geon-guk said, “When I pitched today, I tried to pitch aggressively every inning without thinking about anything else. Rather than being greedy to throw a long inning, I designed today’s pitching with the idea of giving my all in every inning, and (Kim) Tae-goon’s “I think we played well today with a good lead,” he said, expressing satisfaction. He added, “Although the team is currently in a difficult situation, all of the players talked before the game, saying, ‘Let’s help each other overcome our shortcomings and solve the game.’ With that spirit coming together, we won today.” At the same time, he pledged, “I am grateful to the coach who gave me the opportunity to be a starter. I will prepare well so that the team can win next time.”