At the beginning of this season, SSG sees Kim Gun-woo (23), a left-hander in his fifth year, as a very important key to the mound management. The starting pitcher has weakened due to Mitch White's injury, but SSG coach Lee Sung-yong calculates that if Kim Gun-woo is used to maximize the use of the bullpen, he will be able to make up for some losses.안전놀이터

Up until the exhibition game, Kim had to compete for the fifth starting pitcher position. He allowed one run in seven innings, which enabled him to stand out the most in both content and results among the competitors. Despite this, Lee gave Kim the role of a bullpen pitcher, rather than a starter. If Kim runs in all different seasons from the middle, he will be more useful than in starting rotation. As White was removed, he lacked starting pitchers to take charge of long innings, and as such, he needed more resources to stay in the bullpen.

"Kim Geon-woo is the core of the mound until White comes. For now, I will try to put him right after starting based on the concept of 'one plus one'. When White returns, I am also considering starting as well. One day, I will make him join the starting lineup. He has enough quality," Lee said. In the meantime, Lee mentioned Cha Woo-chan during the "Samsung Dynasty" in the past. In the early 2010s, Cha started as a long man for Samsung and played as a starting member. Regardless of the starter and bullpen, he was the first to run and fill the hole in the mound. That's what manager Lee expects from Kim Gun-woo.

Kim Geon-woo, who played a big role, is also exuberant. Since his debut in 2021, he has never experienced an exhibition game, let alone an opening of the season, in the first division until last year. He lacked skills in the first or second year, and failed to display performance in the early days of the season. He joined the military in January 2023 after his third year, and was discharged from the military in July last year.

"I think my ball power has improved a lot in business," Kim said. "I learned a lot from other good pitchers such as Samsung's Kim Moo-shin, our team's Kim Taek-hyung, NC's Koo Chang-mo, KT's Bae Je-sung and LG's Lee Jung-yong."

He remembers that only when he is confident in his ball can he face off against the batter and win. These are the words that are most needed for Kim Kun-woo, who has to endure in the bullpen as much as possible. In order to play a long inning, he needs to minimize the number of pitches he throws, and in order to do so, he needs to be able to compete head-to-head with batters. "The manager also said, 'If you go to the middle, throwing your own ball is the first thing. Catch a lot of strikes and quickly compete," Kim said.

Kim Geon-woo took the mound in the season opener against Doosan at home in Incheon on the 22nd. He was in a comfortable situation after two outs in the sixth inning, but he was not satisfied. He allowed two consecutive walks and was replaced. He failed to throw the ball head-on with the determination to win against the batter. However, it has just begun. Catcher Lee Ji-young, who received Kim Geon-woo's ball on the day, encouraged his junior by saying, "It's okay because I'm so nervous. I'll get better with one game and two and three games like that." Although he was disappointed to take the mound for the first time this season, it remains the same that Kim should play a big role on the SSG mound.