“Beom Soo-hyung is a voracious reader.”
Moon Dong-ju (20), who is growing up to be Hanwha’s homegrown ace, has been learning how to manage his mental game this season. Experiencing both good and bad times has helped him develop an unwavering mentality. His roommate, senior Kim Bum-soo (28), has adopted the habit of reading books to relieve psychological anxiety.
“Bumsoo always reads books. I read all the books he reads, and if he has a good part of the book, I mark it with a highlighter.” “Talking to him helps me mentally a lot,” he said. Kim Bum-soo usually buys Moon Dong-joo a lot of delicious meals to nourish his body and mind.
“Last year, I read a book written by Chief Training Coach Lee Ji-pung and fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve been reading a lot of mental books. I’ve seen a lot of effects. When I’m having a hard time, in a crisis, or when the ball doesn’t go in, I think of a good phrase from a book to calm my mind. I tell Dong-ju to look at the books I’ve read,” he laughed.
Now in his ninth year as a professional and a mid-level senior on the team, Kim has become more calm and mature as a result of his reading. “I try not to show that I’m struggling if I don’t do well on the mound. There are juniors, and I have more eyes on me. I try to be as calm as possible and not get excited on the mound,” Kim said.
In fact, it was hard for him to stay calm at the beginning of the season. In the month of April, he struggled with a 4.26 ERA in 12 games with a 1-1 record and one save, and was shaken by a decisive hit in a game. He started pitching late due to a minor injury in spring training in the U.S., so his preparation for the season was slow, but the fact that he had to take over as a temporary closer due to the team’s situation made him feel even more urgent.
“I started three weeks later than the other players in camp,” Kim said. I was in a hurry because I had shown something last year and had a role to play on the team. “The coaches told me that there was nothing wrong with the data, so if I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll be able to start playing in May. In May, the balls started to come up and I was able to find my pace.”
After May, he stabilized, going 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 20 games. His season ERA is 3.55, his best since his debut. Recently, he has been playing the role of a specialist who comes in when there are runners on base in the middle of the inning to clean up the situation. Against KIA in Daejeon on April 21, he entered the game with the bases loaded in the seventh inning with a 6-3 lead and induced Socrates Brito to ground out to shortstop with his first-pitch slider, ending the inning with a 6-4-3 double play to set the stage for the win.
The hold was the 50th of Kim’s career. With one more the next day, Kim now has 51, which ranks him third on the Hanwha all-time list. Park holds the team’s all-time record with 96 holds, tied with Ahn Young-myung (59) and Song Chang-sik (51).안전놀이터
Kim, who also set a Hanwha single-season record of 27 holds last year, said, “It’s because the team believes in me and keeps putting me in good situations. “I think I can set a good record someday if I don’t get sick like I did last year and stay healthy for a season. I have 50 holds, so I will aim for 100 holds,” he vowed.