Doosan Bears lefty rookie Park Ji-ho (21) made a strong impression as he got a chance to debut in his team's 144th final game. Park took the mound in relief at the bottom of the seventh inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases leading 3-1 in the game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 28th. Park Ji-ho marked his first hold since his debut by giving up a 4-3 victory with 16 pitches, no hit, one walk, and two strikeouts in ⅔ innings. According to data provided by "Trackman," a pitching tracking system, Park hit a maximum speed of 151.2 kilometers on the day. It is the first time that Park Ji-ho has exceeded 150 kilometers per hour.

Park Ji-ho had fastballs with Ahn Jung-yeol, his first batter, in the game. He garnered two strikes with his fastballs on the body and outside, and swung and missed with a 151 kilometer per hour high fastball to score three strikeouts. He committed wild pitches at the first and second bases with one out, putting Han on the verge of being placed on the second and third bases, but changed the situation to two outs and second and third bases by striking out Han with his heavy fastball.메이저사이트

The final batter's game was regrettable. Park was given a mine to take on Park Min-woo, one of the best contact hitters in the league. Park had a fierce game with Park up to eight pitches, and he walked and was on the verge of loading the bases. That was it for Park, and Park Jung-soo, who took over the ball with the bases loaded with two outs, grounded out Kim Joo-won to shortstop, holding on without additional runs.

Even in the eyes of SBS Sports baseball commentator Lee Soon-cheol, who broadcasted the game, Park's pitching seems to have been impressive. He is often called a "poisoner" for his commentary without adding or subtracting any words, but he did not spare praise for Park.

"I like my pitching form. Last season alone, Doosan suffered a lot because there were no left-handed pitchers," Lee said. It must have been an injury. Considering that such a player makes his debut late, his pitching form is not like this due to his poor ball control. He has fast arm swing and he may lose fast ball speed while learning breaking balls, but if he gets a change-up or slider in his arm swing now, he can grow fast enough," Lee said.

In fact, Park was injured as soon as he joined the team, so he couldn't throw the ball right away. After graduating from Jangan High School and Kang Dong-dae, Park joined Doosan as the 42nd overall pick in the fifth round of the rookie draft in 2024. Due to hamstring injury after joining the team, he was able to start pitching properly from April, and he was able to start pitching from May.

When Doosan nominated Park Ji-ho, the speed was up to 145 kilometers. The Doosan Scout team said at the time, "The speed of the ball or rotation is good, but the release point is not constant," and viewed him as a player who needed to grow a little more in the development system.

While slowly building up his body, Park started to grow rapidly with the help of pitching coaches Kwon Myung-chul, Kim Sang-jin, Cha Dae-yum, and Kim Ji-yong (current bullpen coach) in the second division. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop received positive feedback from Park, and briefly called Park into the first division early this month to have him throw a bullpen session. Lee and his coaches paid attention to Park, and at the time when the team was in a crisis of the final game of the season, they gave him a chance to debut, allowing him to prove to himself how much he has grown this year.

After taking his first hold in his debut match, Park Ji-ho said, "I was nervous, but the coaches and older brothers gave me a lot of advice. In particular, coach Kim Ji-yong said, "The opportunity that didn't come to other players came to you. Don't be nervous and be confident," so I just thought about throwing my ball confidently."

"There was a runner, but I didn't care and threw it just looking at the catcher. It would have been nice to finish the inning, but it's still a shame that I gave the last batter a walk. Next time, I want to pitch a full inning," he added, promising next year.

Doosan was highly dependent on Lee Byung-hun, a left-hander, for his growth this year, but he pitched 65 ⅓ innings in 77 games. In the second half of the year, he tried to share the burden on left-hander Lee Kyo-hoon, but when he needed a left-handed pitcher in a close game, he had no choice but to go to Lee Byung-hun's card. Will Park Ji-ho be able to expand the range of left-handed pitchers Lee can choose next season, following his strong debut.