National team pitcher Kwak Do-gyu threw a perfect first inning in his Taegeuk-marked debut.
Kwak Do-kyu pitched one inning of scoreless relief, striking out one and walking three in an exhibition game between the national team and Commerce & Industry at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Saturday.
Kwak, who joined the national team after the Korean Series, did not pitch against Cuba in the past 1-2 days. It was his first game under the Korean flag, although the game was similar to the Blue-Black game.
Kwak pitched five innings as a commercial pitcher and faced the national team’s bats. The first batter he faced was teammate Choi Won-joon. After throwing a 144-kilometer fastball in the first inning, Kwak fired a 141-kilometer fastball to the shortstop in the third inning. He then got Hong Chang-ki to ground out to third base on a 143-kilometer fastball on a 1-ball-1 strike.
Two batters later, he struck out Yoon Dong-hee on a two-pitch, two-strike count with a big changeup (127 mph) that fell off the plate.
Manager Ryu Jung-il praised Kwak Do-gyu during the national team’s training camp. Ryu, who watched the Korean Series on TV, said, “I like KIA’s left-handed pitcher. Kwak Do-gyu. 메이저사이트 I think we should use him,” he quipped.
There are three left-handed pitchers on the national team roster. Choi Seung-yong is included as a starter (five).
Two left-handed bullpen pitchers are Kwak Do-gyu and Choi Ji-min. “We haven’t finalized the roster yet, but we don’t have a left-handed pitcher, so I think we’ll have to go with two,” said Ryu Jung-il, confirming the final roster.
Kwak Do-gyu, who joined KIA in the fifth round (42nd overall) of the 2023 rookie draft, had an 8.49 ERA in 14 games (11⅔ innings) in his rookie year. He improved dramatically this year. In 71 regular-season games (55⅔ innings), Kwak went 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 16 appearances and two saves, establishing himself as a staple in the KIA bullpen.
He was especially strong in the Korean Series against Samsung. Kwak pitched in all four games that Kia won, going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA. He pitched four innings of one-hit ball, striking out four and walking two.
In addition to his performance in the Korean Series, Kwak also showed his MZ spirit with a surprise gesture. Game 4, after striking out Diaz to end the inning, he made fans laugh with a surprise gesture by turning his hat sideways.
In Game 5, he unbuttoned his uniform after the inning and revealed a T-shirt with Lee’s name and number 48 on the inside. The gesture was in honor of Lee, a team senior who had elbow surgery and was unable to play in the Korean Series.