Will "special attention" be able to save the NC Dinos' native starters in crisis? Right-hander Kim Nok-won (22), who is in his fourth year as a pro, will make his debut in the first division as a starting pitcher.스포츠토토
Kim Nok-won will take the mound as NC's starting pitcher in the away game of the 2025 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan at 2 p.m. on the 4th.
This is Kim Nok-won's first game in the first division. A native of Hakgang Elementary School, Mudeung Middle School, and Gwangju Jeil High School, he was nominated by NC as the 30th overall pick in the third round of the second round of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft. After completing his military service, he was discharged from the military last year and was called up immediately on the 1st, when he could register as an official player from a training player.
During his three seasons in the Futures League alone, Kim pitched in 36 games, posting five wins, seven losses and an ERA of 4.03. In 2022, his first year in the league, he played 79 ⅔ innings in 21 games, posting three wins, three losses and an ERA of 3.40. As a starting pitcher this season, he has been consistently posting one win, three losses and an ERA of 6.12 in six games. During 25 innings, he had 25 hits, 24 strikeouts and 11 walks.
The NC club explained, "We have been preparing for the season with thorough self-management and exemplary attitude, and as a result of focusing on improving the ball balance and restraint during CAMP 2, the ball speed and speed have improved. Our game management ability has improved compared to before joining the military, and we use aggressive pitches and left and right corner walks effectively on the mound."
He then said, "We are focusing on change-ups, the main game type, and sliders and curves are also stable. The average fastball was 144 kilometers and up to 149 kilometers, up 3-4 kilometers from before joining the army. It has excellent physical combat with batters, body-side games, and count preoccupation ability, and low walking ratio, allowing stable operation."
Lee Ho-joon, the NC Dinosaurs coach who had mentioned Kim since the beginning of the season, said ahead of Thursday's game, "I came here to do live pitching (for the first team), and my ball went straight in." "(Kim) was constantly getting good reviews (for the second team). He said that even if he lost a point, it was a missed hit," adding, "It's basically a ball control. I can use that alone."
"My goal has been to become a first-team player since I was young, and I have taken one step closer to that dream," Kim told reporters. "It's great to be in training together. I want to stay here because of the good environment." He continued, "I worked hard in the past, but I will try harder."
After hearing the call-up news, Kim Nok-won said, "It was when I started playing catch ball, and my heart was pounding," adding, "I just imagined it, but I already trained the same because I thought I shouldn't do this."
In fact, Kim's debut in the first division could have been sooner. He was expected to be the starting pitcher at the match against KIA in Gwangju on the 1st, the day of the call-up, but was canceled due to rain. "It's a bummer," he said. "I think I can play in Gwangju anytime if I show good performances. I was disappointed on that day, and now I feel okay." However, he confessed to his family that he missed the opportunity to make his debut.
Kim Nok-won chose to join the army as an active duty soldier during the 2023 season. He said he became a general infantryman due to the reorganization of the special engineering unit, but he boasted shyly, saying, "The machine gun and the rifle were special." "He was the only special machine gun shooter in the unit," a club official said. "He said it went well because he was good at controlling the ball."
If you go as a regular soldier rather than a baseball team or social service worker, it is not easy to create conditions for you to exercise. Kim first took the change of mind and routine. "As I went to work, I thought about it again. I felt that I had to build my quickness and strength while thinking about it for two months," he said.
The environment was poor, but Kim Nok-won made tremendous efforts by secretly running without forming a comradeship and doing 200 burpees on the spot. He said, "I thought I should build up my body by resting my shoulders and elbows. At first, I didn't know it was getting better, but it accumulated steadily, and the results came out."
After returning to the team, Kim focused on offensive pitching. "I tried to carry out my mission. I tried hard to throw the ball into the strike zone," he said. "I tried to take a quick game, and there were times when I was right, but when the ball was strong, I had a lot of Bumtana strikeouts," he said.
After the call-up, Kim was in an embarrassing situation. His pronunciation is similar to that of Kim because foreign pitcher Logan Allen is registered as Logan. Manager Lee even emphasized, "On Sunday, it's not Logan, but Nokwon." "I turned around thinking, 'Are you calling me?'" Kim said with a smile. Asked if there should be another name for him, he said, "There is also Nokdong among the nicknames.
What kind of player would he like to become? "If baseball produces consistent results both domestically and internationally, the results will naturally follow," he said. "As always, I want to be a role model for others and a player with good personality."
The NC Dinosaurs are at the bottom of the list with a starting ERA of 5.82 until Thursday's game. Except for Riley Thompson (4 wins, 2 losses, 3.96 ERA), few pitchers are in charge of their role. Under these circumstances, will Kim be able to save his team from its debut game.