SSG Landers starting pitcher Kim Keon-woo set a South Korean baseball postseason record by striking out the first six batters he faced Saturday.
Kim, a 23-year-old left-hander in his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason game, struck out the side in both the first and second innings against the Samsung Lions in Game 2 of their first-round series at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul.
Kim got Lee Jae-hyeon to whiff on a fastball for the first strikeout and then got Kim Seong-yoon looking at a 0-2 fastball for his second K. Koo Ja-wook then whiffed on a 3-2 fastball to end a six-pitch at-bat.
Kim then struck out Lewin Diaz looking at a fastball. Kim Young-woong swung and missed on a 1-2 slider, and Kim Keon-woo set the record by getting Kim Hun-gon to fan on a 0-2 changeup in the dirt.
The previous record had been five straight batters sat down by Keyvius Sampson of the Hanwha Eagles against the Nexen Heroes on Oct. 20, 2018.
Kim recorded another strikeout in the third inning, in which the Landers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of that inning. He, however, didn't even factor into a decision after getting the hook with one out in the fourth inning.
He allowed a single and a double before Diaz touched him for a two-run single to tie the game at 2-2. Kim was removed for reliever Lee Ro-un, who escaped the inning without further damage.
Kim threw 49 pitches, 34 of them for strikes. He offered 26 four-seam fastballs, 12 sliders, seven changeups and four curveballs.
He got the Game 2 nod ahead of ace Drew Anderson, who has been battling stomach flu all week. Anderson is scheduled to start Game 3 on Monday at the Lions' home in Daegu, some 235 km southeast of Seoul.
