Seoul: Two starts into his sophomore campaign in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Doosan Bears right-hander Choi Min-seok lived out a childhood dream Wednesday night. With his team leading the Kiwoom Heroes 5-0 with two outs in the top of the sixth inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Choi was lifted for a reliever. As he walked off the mound, thousands of Bears fans packing the stands above the first-base dugout saluted their pitching hero with a thunderous ovation. According to Yonhap News Agency, Choi, a Seoul native pitching for his hometown team, reflected on the experience following a 7-3 win. "I've been dreaming of a moment like that since I was little," said Choi. "It will stay with me for a long time." Despite the small sample size, Choi's performance this year shows some statistical oddity, as he has allowed more walks than hits, with nine walks against five hits in 11 2/3 innings. In his season debut last Thursday, the 19-year-old held the Samsung Lions to two hits but walked five men while a llowing one unearned run in six innings. Then on Wednesday, Choi gave up three hits but issued four walks. "I am pleased with the results in both games, but once again, I kept putting myself into trouble with these walks," Choi said sheepishly. "But if I can cut down on walks, I should keep having good games going forward." After a clean first inning, Choi allowed a base runner in each inning from the second to the sixth but escaped unscathed each time. He got an inning-ending double play ball in the second, worked around two walks in the third and stranded a leadoff single in the fourth. In the fifth, he survived a bases-loaded jam by striking out Lee Ju-hyoung with a two-seam fastball, his bread-and-butter pitch, finishing off four of his six strikeouts with that two-seamer. Choi expressed relief at completing another inning with the key strikeout, stating, "I wasn't sure if I was going back out for another inning, but I enjoyed that moment for sure." Choi made 98 pitches, 62 of them for strikes, utilizin g 44 two-seamers, 25 cutters, 20 splitters, and nine sliders. Despite some luck on his side early in the regular season, Choi aims to succeed through his abilities. Choi attributed his walks to mental lapses, not mechanical issues. "I've been walking a lot of batters after getting two outs because of loss of concentration," he said. "I have to be sharper mentally to fix that issue." Along with American starter Zach Logue, Choi has been a pillar of the Bears' rotation. With Chris Flexen out due to a shoulder injury and other pitchers struggling, Choi embraces his role. "My coaches have told me a starting pitcher is the face of his team, and he has to carry the load each and every game," Choi said. "I am taking the mound with a stronger sense of responsibility now."