Daejeon: The Hanwha Eagles couldn't have asked for a better spot to get their slumping reliever Kim Seo-hyeon into Thursday night's game. The Eagles were leading the Kia Tigers 11-4 entering the bottom of the ninth inning and the Tigers had managed only three hits up to that point. For relievers, this was as stress-free as it could get. Well, so much for that.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim, back in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) after spending his minimum 10 days in the minors, failed to record an out. He faced five batters and all of them got on base, as Kim plunked two, walked another, and gave up two hits. The Eagles summoned Jack Cushing to clean up the mess and they hung on to win the game 11-8. Kim was charged with three earned runs.
Kim's numbers for the season are staggering. He has a 12.38 ERA, with 11 earned runs allowed over eight innings. He has surrendered more walks (15) than hits and strikeouts combined (14). Kim has hit four batters to tie for third in the KBO in that category. Ten pitchers have plunked at least four batters this season and Kim is the only one in the group to have thrown fewer than 10 innings. Of the 52 batters Kim has faced, 28 have reached base.
This year, the Eagles have been trying what they can to help Kim rediscover his All-Star form from long stretches of last season. They removed him from the closer's role after a particularly disastrous game on April 14, when the right-hander issued six walks as the 5-0 Eagles lead over the Samsung Lions turned into a 6-5 loss. When control issues persisted, the Eagles sent Kim down to the Futures League, where they hoped the 21-year-old would be able to regroup, mentally and physically.
In his first Futures League outing last Saturday, he allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in two innings. Two days later, he struck out the side in his lone inning of work. After that promising outing, the Eagles called up Kim for Thursday's game. KBO players demoted to the Futures League are required to spend at least 10 days there and the Eagles chose to bring Kim as soon as the pitcher reached that threshold. The Eagles might have acted too soon.
In Thursday's game, Kim hit the first two batters of the ninth inning and then served up a single to load the bases after a mound visit. Another single scored a run for the Tigers. Kim then issued a four-pitch walk on four straight fastballs to end his night. Kim is one of the KBO's hardest throwers and he touched 156 kilometers per hour with his four-seam fastball Thursday while sitting around 150. However, only five of his 19 fastballs were called for a strike, with three others getting fouled off. Blazing fastballs offer little value unless they consistently land in the zone or miss bats.
In 2025, Kim ranked second in the KBO with 33 saves and struck out 71 batters in 66 innings. In September, he gave up just two hits and two walks in eight outings covering 8 1/3 innings. But Kim suffered a meltdown in his final regular-season outing on Oct. 1, serving up two late home runs to cost the Eagles a shot at winning the pennant. His problems extended into the postseason, as he surrendered three home runs and four walks in 3 2/3 innings combined across two rounds.
Prior to Thursday's game, Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon said he was encouraged to see Kim Seo-hyeon throwing more strikes than balls in the Futures League. The skipper also said he wasn't going to thrust Kim Seo-hyeon back into the closer's job right away. Cushing is their closer for now, but he is on a six-week contract as a temporary replacement for another foreign pitcher, Owen White, who is expected back in the next couple of weeks. Once Cushing leaves and White rejoins a rotation ravaged by other injuries, it will leave a gaping hole in the back end of the bullpen unless Kim Seo-hyeon can turn things around quickly. And Thursday's outing showed Kim is not yet ready.
Eagles slugger Roh Si-hwan, who belted two home runs in the victory, said Kim has to overcome his adversity on his own. "This is something we all have to go through to become a superstar in this league, and he has to get over this hurdle without relying on anyone else," Roh said. "If he can't do it, then that's who he is. But if he survives this, he will become an incredible player."