Kim Yoo-seong (23), who is competing as a candidate for the fifth starter of the Doosan Bears in professional baseball, has promised to unleash his potential with a powerful pitching style and a new weapon, the sweeper.

On the 9th, Kim Yoo-seong contributed to Doosan's 4-2 victory by pitching in relief in the 6th inning of the 2025 KBO League exhibition game against the Hanwha Eagles held at Cheongju Stadium, with 4 innings pitched, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and no runs.

With 1 to 4 starters confirmed, Doosan is competing for the final fifth starter position between Choi Won-jun, Choi Joon-ho, and Kim Yoo-seong. Choi Joon-ho pitched 4 innings with 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 1 earned run in the exhibition game opener on the 8th, while Choi Won-jun also showed stability by pitching 4 innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 1 earned run against Hanwha on the 9th. In response, Kim Yoo-seong continued the strong performance relay, heating up the competition for the fifth starter position. The Doosan mound has turned out to be more solid than expected amidst the friendly competition.

In the 6th inning, Kim Yoo-seong retired No Si-hwan on a ground ball to shortstop, Chae Eun-seong on a ground ball to third base, and Ahn Chi-hong on a ground ball to shortstop, retiring them in order with just 7 pitches. In the 7th inning, he retired Lim Jong-chan on a ground ball to second base but allowed a single to Heo In-seo. A pickoff attempt at first base resulted in an error, leading to one out with runners at first and second, but he overcame the scoring threat by inducing Shim Woo-jun to a shallow pop-up to the infield and Lee Jin-young to a ground ball to third base.

In the 8th inning, he got Kwon Kwang-min to swing and miss on a slider and forkball before striking him out swinging with a fastball. After retiring Lee Won-seok on a flyout to right field, Jung Min-kyu reached first base due to an error by the third baseman but was then struck out swinging.

In the 9th inning, he quickly recorded two outs, retiring Lee Do-yun on a flyout to center field and Lim Jong-chan on a ground ball to second base. After issuing a walk to Choi In-ho after a seven-pitch battle, he allowed a single to Hah Joo-seok, putting runners on first and second with two outs; however, he finished the game by retiring Lee Jin-young on a foul fly to first base.

He used a total of 61 pitches, reaching a maximum speed of 150 km/h according to Trackman, with an average fastball of 146 km/h (34 pitches), along with a sweeper (11 pitches), slider (9 pitches), fork (4 pitches), and curve (3 pitches). The speed gun measured a maximum velocity of up to 153 km/h. He consistently placed his powerful fastball in the strike zone, and the newly equipped sweeper also effectively drew swings from the batters.

After the game, Kim Yoo-seong said, “I’ve been managing my condition well since spring camp, and I didn't feel anything particularly special about my condition today. My velocity has been coming out well, and my control is good. Especially in today’s game, I was pleased that my first pitch strikes and changeups for getting ahead in the count worked well,” he noted. “However, maybe because I relaxed after the two outs, my control wasn’t as sharp, and I regretted that. It may have been that I was trying to throw a bit harder after the two outs in the 9th, which didn’t go well.”

He used the newly developed sweeper in a real game for the first time. Throwing it more frequently than his fastball, it showed potential to become his second pitch. Kim Yoo-seong stated, “This was my first time throwing the sweeper in a game, and the control wasn’t bad, and the batters had a good reaction. I plan to utilize it during the regular season as well.”

Kim Yoo-seong, who joined Doosan as the 19th overall pick in the second round of 2023, has been recognized as a promising talent since his high school days at Gimhae High School. He was selected first overall by NC in 2020 but faced a school violence controversy, resulting in an unprecedented withdrawal of his draft. After entering Korea University, he came out for the early draft and received a call from Doosan. Having begun his professional career after receiving forgiveness through a heartfelt apology to the victim, Kim Yoo-seong underperformed until last year, with a cumulative record of 24 games (7 starts), 1 win, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 7.08 over 2 seasons in the first team. He recorded 35 strikeouts in 34⅓ innings but also struggled with 36 walks.

However, this year, he is showcasing his fierce pitching along with improved control. It would not be surprising if he secured the fifth starter spot, but even if he doesn’t, he can certainly be effective in the bullpen. Kim Yoo-seong expressed, “Since all the candidates for the starter position are pitching so well, rather than greedily vying for a starting spot, I want to focus on doing my job well,” adding, “I will complement the points I felt regretful about in today’s game to show a better performance during the season.”

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