A highly touted prospect, who was chosen by Doosan despite negative public opinion, will make his fifth starter debut.

Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yup announced that right-handed prospect Kim Yoo-sung will be the starting pitcher for the match against the KT Wiz in the third game of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League season, held on the 27th at Suwon KT Wiz Park.

This is Kim Yoo-sung's first appearance after winning the fifth starter competition. A total of four pitchers initially challenged for the fifth starter spot at Doosan.

Kim Yoo-sung fell short in both exhibition performance and starting experience compared to veteran Choi Won-jun. Choi Won-jun had an exhibition record of 1 win and 0 losses with an earned run average of 1.29 over two games, while Kim Yoo-sung had 0 wins, 1 loss, and 1 save with an earned run average of 2.57 in two games. In the final audition against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 15th, Choi Won-jun pitched three scoreless innings, while Kim Yoo-sung allowed two runs in three innings. In terms of career wins, Choi Won-jun has 40 wins, while Kim Yoo-sung has only 1.

Lee Seung-yup noted ahead of the opening, "New faces like Oh Myung-jin and Kim Min-seok are continuing to emerge within the team. Since the team needs to undergo significant changes compared to last year, Kim Yoo-sung was chosen to start as the fifth starter first. Choi Won-jun can provide support right behind Kim Yoo-sung when he starts, and also take on a long-relief role. Since many variables arise in the starting rotation throughout the year, it would be nice if Choi Won-jun could play a quiet role this year."

Of course, Choi Won-jun also successfully joined the opening starting rotation. He was chosen as a substitute when the ace Kwak Bin was sidelined due to an internal oblique injury, and he recorded 3 runs in 4 innings against KT on the 25th.

Kim Yoo-sung began to stand out last winter after various trials and errors. He showcased a maximum speed of 154 km/h in a game against the Japanese professional baseball team Nippon Ham Fighters' second team during the Miyazaki training league, allowing only 1 run over 6 innings while throwing 91 pitches. He then earned a spot among the candidates for the fifth starter position for Doosan's 2025 season through the finishing camp. Kim Yoo-sung demonstrated a strong will toward becoming a fifth starter by equipping a 'new pitch' sweeper, ultimately fulfilling his dream of becoming a starter after overcoming a 4-to-1 competition.

Kim Yoo-sung, a graduate of Kimhae High School, was selected first by NC Dinos in the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft, but experienced the pain of being undrafted due to a school violence controversy during his amateur days.

Kim Yoo-sung entered Korea University and knocked on the door to the KBO League once again through the early draft system. He achieved his dream of going pro by being selected 19th overall in the second round by Doosan in the 2023 rookie draft held in September 2022. At that time, Doosan valued Kim Yoo-sung's future potential highly, choosing to take the risk of selecting him in a higher round despite the school violence risk.

Signing with Doosan for a contract bonus of 1.5 billion won in 2022, Kim Yoo-sung acknowledged the fact of secondary harm from verbal abuse he had committed during his school years, and he conveyed a sincere apology to the victim, ultimately receiving forgiveness.

Meanwhile, KT, facing Doosan, has announced left-hander Oh Won-seok as the starter. Oh Won-seok, who became a KT player through a 1-for-1 trade with Kim Min, made one appearance in the exhibition games and checked his form with 4 runs in 3 innings. During his previous tenure with the SSG Landers last year, he recorded 1 win and 0 losses with an earned run average of 4.80 against Doosan over three games.

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