Doosan Bears’ Kwak-Bin Kwak reached the 10-win plateau for the first time in his professional career. He picked up a valuable victory in a start against one of the best pitchers in Korean baseball, Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers).
Kwak Bin started the 2023 Shinhan Bank Solar KBO League game against SSG at Jamsil Stadium on April 25 and pitched eight innings of four-hit ball, walking three and striking out five.
After contributing to the team’s 10-1 victory, Kwak Bin reached 10 wins in a season (6 losses) in his fourth attempt after winning nine. This is the first time Kwak Bin, who has been a full-time starter since 2021, has reached 10 wins in a season.
After the match, Kwak said, “I wasn’t waiting for it. I thought I could win after nine wins, but I was a little shaky on my own. (Choi) Won-jun told me that the win would come when his brother played, so I pitched in a relaxed state,” he said after the game.
By the eighth inning, Kwak had thrown 102 pitches. He was within striking distance of a perfect game.
When asked if he had no desire to complete the game, Kwak said, “I did, but the crisis in the eighth inning made me lose my desire. Then there’s the next game. I just threw everything I had at the batter.”
Over the course of the season, Kwak’s win total has grown.
In 2018, his rookie season, Kwak went 3-1 (1 loss, 1 save, 4 holds) as a reliever, and in 2021, when he took over the starting role, he went 4-7. Last season, he stepped up his game, amassing eight wins (nine losses), and this year he’s on pace for double-digit wins.
“I think (10 wins) came at the right time,” Kwak said. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be in the first team at the age of 23 because the professional barrier is so high,” he smiled.
The win was especially significant because it came against Kim Kwang-hyun (4 innings, 6 runs), who has 156 career wins (86 losses) in the KBO.
“It’s a great honor to reach 카지노 10 wins against the best left-handed pitcher in Korea,” said Kwak Bin. I believe it will be an opportunity for me to develop further.”
The performance also marked a resurgence for Kwak Bin, who had struggled in his last six games, giving up four runs on three occasions.
“I thought I was strong in the second half, but I’ve been shaky lately. There was no problem with my condition and pitches. I think it’s good to be positive.”
In conclusion, Kwak-Bin said, “It’s good to get my first 10 wins, but I still have a lot of baseball left. I want to be a 10-win player next year and the year after,” he said.