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"May ERA 0.00 → July 6.14" KIA 20-year-old Pilseungjo's "Growth Pain," but "I'll forget about tomorrow and throw it" grows bravely
Choi Ji-min (20, KIA Tigers) has grown into an indispensable part of the team's bullpen in his second year. The day is getting hotter and shaky, but he is holding his mental strength with the support of his seniors and the head coach.
In a recent meeting with Star News at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, Choi Ji-min said, "In the beginning, I was annoyed when I couldn't throw it and came down, but my older brothers advised me to forget and do the same the next day."
Choi Ji-min is KIA's best hit product this season. Choi Ji-min, who joined the team last year after graduating from Gangneung High School, threw for Geelong Korea in Australia throughout the winter and had a good ERA of 1.47. He then showed good condition in the spring camp, and even received an award for the team's rising star, raising expectations for this season.
After the start of the season, Choi showed off his excellent pitching. In particular, he continued his scoreless streak in 17 consecutive games, not giving up a single point in 13 innings in 11 games in May. Choi Ji-min once lowered his ERA to 1.07 and quickly emerged as a must-win group for KIA. Even when closer Jung Hae-young (22) went down to the second division, head coach Kim Jong-kook (50) directly picked him as the No. 1 substitute.
Regarding his performance in the first half, Choi Ji-min looked back, saying, "I feel good that I took the mound a lot in difficult situations and went out and blocked it well." The All-Star Game, which he participated in amid such performances, was also a big experience for him. Choi Ji-min said, "The All-Star Game was a very meaningful place. While looking at the seniors of other teams, I thought a lot, "I should work harder and do well," he said.
However, Choi Ji-min began to falter in June as the number of runs increased little by little. In particular, in the second half of the year, it became frequent to be beaten in critical situations. In the match against Doosan in Gwangju on the 21st of last month, he came up with a situation that was gradually lagging behind and gave up the flow by hitting a three-run triple to Park Joon-young. In the match against Changwon NC on the 25th, he allowed Jason Martin a come-from-behind grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning and became a losing pitcher. Choi Ji-min's ERA in July was 6.14, which is somewhat high.
In a calm tone, Choi Jimin said, "I'm doing it as usual these days." He, who is having his first full-time season, explained, "There is no physical burden, and there is nothing tiring and hard because he is taking good care of me in the training part."
Still, Choi Ji-min is trying to overcome the crisis as his team seniors give him generous advice. Choi Ji-min, who said, "The older members help me a lot mentally," said, "Yang Hyun-jong said, 'I should have thrown the fastball harder,' but said, 'I can't help but think about it today, and just do the same from tomorrow."
Jung Hae-young and Lee Eui-ri (21) of similar age are also helping Choi Ji-min's mentality. He said, "I was annoyed when I couldn't throw it in the beginning and came down," adding, "The older members told me, 'I can't turn the past game around, so I just have to forget quickly and throw it well in the next game." Choi Ji-min continued, "So I only think about the game that day and just forget about it the next day and do the same."
Although it has been faltering recently, Kim Jong-kook's belief in Choi Jimin remains unchanged. Head coach Kim said, "I've been in a bad condition lately, but my mental strength is not weak. "It is important to find confidence and pitch," he said. In response, Choi Ji-min said, "I'm grateful that I believe in my bad appearance." "To use it in an important situation means that you believe that much, so I hope you do well to repay that belief," he said.
Finally, Choi Ji-min expressed his determination, saying, "It's a shame that I couldn't catch a game that started in the second half and was not good enough to win," adding, "I hope I can continue my good pitching in August with a better appearance."
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