Professional baseball SSG Landers' Kim Kwang-hyun (37) made a strong start with good pitching in his first actual game appearance.

On the 2nd, Kim Kwang-hyun started in a practice game against the Hanwha Eagles at Kochinda Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, recording 2 innings, 2 walks, and no earned runs.

With SSG leading 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning, Kim Kwang-hyun allowed lead-off batter Shim Woo-jun to walk and induced Choi In-ho into a ground ball to second base, getting the lead runner out. The inning ended after Estevan Florial's groundout with two outs and a runner on second base, striking out No Si-hwan with a ground ball to second.

In the 2nd inning, Kim Kwang-hyun allowed lead-off batter Chae Eun-sung to walk and then induced Ahn Chi-hong into a ground ball to first base, getting the lead runner out. Lim Jong-chan was handled with a pop-up to shortstop, and Lee Jae-won was also retired with a ground ball to shortstop, finishing the inning without allowing any runs. He was substituted with Seo Jin-young in the 3rd inning, ending his appearance for the day.

Kim Kwang-hyun recorded 36 pitches, using 17 fastballs, 11 sliders, 4 curves, and 4 changeups. His maximum fastball speed reached 146 km/h, with an average speed of 143 km/h. The strike rate was 58.3% (21/36).

Successfully completing his first actual game appearance, Kim Kwang-hyun noted in a post-game interview, “I feel my condition is not bad. There's still a long way to go before the season starts. I plan to pitch in about two more games and will work hard to prepare for the opening game.”

When Kim Kwang-hyun was told by a staff member Choo Shin-soo, who visited the stadium, that he reached 146 km/h, he joked, “Anyways, anyone below 150 km/h is a changeup pitcher.” Kim Kwang-hyun stated, “Actually, it was the same last year, but speed is not that important. Once the season starts, everyone will be around the same speed. I'm not worried because I'm not in worse shape than last year. Even if I threw 139 km/h today, I wouldn't have worried about speed.” He laughed, adding, “Last year in Taiwan, I was throwing in the 130s.”

Kim Kwang-hyun, expressing regret, said, “The mound was higher today, so a lot of high pitches came in. I threw too many balls today. I was too rushed to throw strikes. That aspect bothers me the most. Even if the mound is high, I should have adapted quickly, but I allowed walks to lead-off batters two innings in a row. Still, it's positive that many ground balls were produced. I threw a lot of off-speed pitches like changeups, sliders, and curves. Overall, it wasn’t bad. I just need to get my control down.”

Emphasizing he has no concerns about his personal preparation, Kim Kwang-hyun expressed worries for other players' injuries as captain of the team. SSG's foreign pitcher Mitch White and outfielder Ha Jae-hoon sustained injuries during the Okinawa camp and returned home early.

Kim Kwang-hyun, expressing concern, said, “I am worried as a few injured players have come out on the team. I hope no more players get injured going forward. That’s a concern for the team. It’s unfortunate when injuries occur when everyone is struggling and wants to go home. Still, it’s a relief that it’s not a major injury, and I hope everyone stays cautious about injuries.”

In this game, Hanwha's ace Ryu Hyun-jin came in as a relief pitcher from the 5th inning. He recorded 2⅓ innings, allowing 9 hits, striking out 2, and allowing 7 runs (4 earned). He was troubled by a critical defensive error in the 6th inning, which was disappointing.

Kim Kwang-hyun, who had never faced Ryu Hyun-jin in a starting match before, wondered why Ryu Hyun-jin was not starting. After learning Ryu Hyun-jin was not originally scheduled to pitch and was starting after a 3-day rest, Kim Kwang-hyun laughed, saying, “I thought I was avoiding a matchup. I was originally set to be the starting pitcher.”

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