Kwak Bin (24-Dusan Bears), a 10-win pitcher, has stalled again. It’s because of his inconsistent pitches.
In his last start against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Kwak-Bin gave up three runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts in four innings, leaving him without a win. It was his second consecutive poor outing, after allowing six runs in three and one-third innings against the KIA Tigers in Jamsil on June 6. After going 8-2 with a 2.08 ERA in the first half of the season, he went 2-5 with a 4.47 ERA in the second half.
Kwak Bin is 10-7 with a 3.12 ERA in 21 games this season. Both his wins and ERA are career highs. He’s also holding opponents to a .211 batting average. His fastball averages 147.1 km/h (4th best among Korean starters). The problem is his ups and downs. The difference between good and bad days is stark. He has pitched well against KIA and Hanwha, two teams that have been struggling right now. He threw seven innings of one run and 10 strikeouts against Hanwha (August 1) and six innings of two runs against Kia (June 11).
With good command of his pitches, Kwak-Bin can dominate his opponents if he keeps them in the strike zone. Contrast his performance on August 1 and this month’s game against Hanwha. On August 1, Kwak-Bin had a 68.7% strikeout rate (according to Statistiz), effectively getting outs. On the 12th, he was only able to get 58.2%. The difference is in the percentage of pitches in the strike zone. On August 1, Kwak had a 50 percent strike zone rate on his fastball and a 53.3 percent rate on his slider. On August 12, he threw only 37.5% of his fastballs and 33.3% of his sliders in the strike zone. This lack of command put him in unfavorable counts and led to his slump.토토사이트
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “In the 12th game, he threw 98 pitches until the fourth inning. On a good day, he throws less than 100 pitches in seven innings.” “He has a lot of ups and downs depending on his condition on the day. I think Kwak-Bin is definitely a pitcher who plays with a higher goal in mind, and if he doesn’t narrow the gap (between good and bad), it will take a long time for him to become a better player.”
Lee advised him to clear his head: “As a pitcher, you’re obviously sensitive and you want to throw better. “It’s something we always talk about,” he said, “but if you just relax and keep it simple, you’ll definitely pitch better. If he can improve his strike rate, he can be one of the best pitchers in Korea.”