Doosan's Kwak-Bin Kwak "I'm so sorry for the AG, but I'm relieved"

Doosan Bears pitcher Kwak Bin.

Doosan Bears pitcher Kwak Bin (24), who won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games without pitching a single game due to cold and gallbladder symptoms, made up for it with a strong performance in a game that could decide his team's fall baseball fate.

Kwak-bin pitched six innings of two-hit ball with two walks and nine strikeouts against the KIA Tigers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday.

Behind Kwak Bin's strong outing, Doosan defeated KIA 3-1 to clinch a postseason berth. Doosan, which is now 73-2 and 65-1, has opened up a three-game lead over sixth-place KIA (71-2 and 69-1) and needs just one win in its remaining four games to reach the postseason.

Kwak-Bin had a shaky start, but his fastball, which topped out at 152 mph, kept the KIA bats in check. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop praised Kwak-bin, saying, "He pitched well as a starting pitcher."

"My pitching balance was really good before the Hangzhou Asian Games, so I thought, 'Only good things can happen now,' but I forgot my balance a little bit due to my gallbladder," Kwak said after the game. "So today, I didn't have a good balance at the beginning of the game either, but my coach helped me and the batters scored runs, so I was able to throw the ball with ease."

Of the 109 pitches he threw, nearly half of them were sliders (54), which is why they were so effective.

"It was the highest percentage of sliders in one game this year," Kwak said. "I didn't have good command of my fastball. (Catcher) Yang Ji (Yang) saw that and called for a slider. The slider went well into the strike zone, so I threw it more aggressively."

With the win, Kwak Bin improved to 12-7 on the season. He has established himself as the undisputed homegrown ace of the Bears and has earned his stripes, but he has been disappointing in international competition.

In particular, he was expected to form a one-two punch with Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha Eagles) at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which concluded on August 8, but did not play a single game. Ahead of the first match against Hong Kong, he suffered from bile in his back, and his physical condition deteriorated.

Doosan Bears pitcher Kwak Bin.

"In the final against Chinese Taipei, I warmed up from the second inning, but Dong-ju pitched well, and I didn't get a chance to pitch because I had to go to the bullpen," Kwak said, adding, "It was very hard (during and after the Asian Games), and I felt very sorry for (Moon) Dong-ju and my teammates."

"I also heard some bad things about me. So I thought, 'Let's play today and show my full potential,'" he added.

Kwak Bin showed his resilience against KIA, saying, "I pitched today and relieved a little bit of pressure. If I am selected for the national team again, I want to show my skills properly at that time."

Despite having a career-high season, Kwak Bin was not satisfied: "It was better than last year, but it's still not good enough. "This year was a lucky season," he admitted, adding, "(I had injuries at key moments) all because I didn't take care of my body. I will try to make my body healthier."

Now that Kwak Bin has completed his final regular season outing, he is preparing for the postseason. "I need to pitch better than I did two years ago (when I played my first fall baseball game)," he said. "If I rest well and keep this feeling, I believe I will have good results in fall baseball." 카지노사이트존