“I try to get enough sleep. I eat mostly protein.”
NC Dinos Pil Seung-jo Kim Young-gyu’s 토토사이트 way to overcome the heat was to sleep well and eat healthy.
Kim Yeong-gyu, from Gwangju Seoseok Elementary School, Mudeung Middle School, and Gwangju Jeil High School, is a left-handed pitcher wearing an NC uniform with a total of 79 in the 2nd 8th round in 2018. He uses sliders, curveballs, and changeups as his breaking ball, and his fastball with an average speed of about 144km is considered his strength.
In 2019, Kim Young-gyu, who also won the KBO League’s first shutout victory born in the 2000s and the first NC club’s first shutout victory, started working in the bullpen from the 2021 season, and then fully settled. Until last year, his career record was 14 wins, 16 losses, 1 save, 21 holds, and an ERA of 4.88 in 159 games (263.2 innings).
Kim Young-kyu’s presence was great this season as well. He went 2 losses and 5 holds in April with a 3.46 earned run average. He stagnated with 7.20 ERA with 1 loss and 2 holds in 6 games in May, but managed to rebound with an ERA of 2.13 with 6 holds in June.
In particular, he showed off a cleaner pitch in July when the heat wave started in earnest. He posted a 2.25 earned run average that month, though he only had one loss without a win, hold, or save in 10 games. Since then, in August, the average ERA of 4 holds is 3.27 (based on the 30th before the game), and it is continuing to pitch smoothly. What is the secret to Kim Young-kyu’s ability to be strong this summer?
Regarding this, Kim Young-gyu, whom I recently met at Changwon NC Park, said, “I try to sleep well. He said, “I don’t want to eat late-night snacks. When it comes to meals, I try to eat foods that I can use my energy, such as meat or sashimi. It’s protein-oriented,” he explained.
He added, “Recently, it has been raining often. He nodded, saying, “I haven’t been able to play many games, so I think I can afford it in terms of stamina.”
Kim Young-kyu, who recorded an average ERA of 3.41 with 2 wins, 7 losses, 1 save and 13 holds in 72 games (66 innings) last year and posted a double-digit hold for the first time in his debut, improved further this season. His current record is 4 losses and 17 holds in 51 appearances (4th) with an earned run average of 3.26. Before he knew it, he went beyond NC to the point where he could be called a relief pitcher representing the league.
He said, “This year, the situation for going out has become a little tighter. I try to focus unconditionally and not get hit,” he said. I think my sense of responsibility has grown,” he said confidently.
The player Kim Young-gyu wants to resemble the most is Koo Seung-min (Lotte Giants). Right-hander Seung-min Koo, who debuted on the professional first team stage in 2014, has recorded an average ERA of 4.41 with 23 wins, 26 losses, 5 saves and 105 holds in 372 games (377.1 innings) so far this year. In particular, from the 2020 season to this season, he has been raising double-digit holds for four consecutive seasons.
Kim Yeong-gyu said, “The player I felt was great was Koo Seung-min. When you see him go 50 games every year with good pitches, he feels great. I want to be like that kind of steadfastness,” he said, sticking out his tongue.
In the middle of this season, Kim Yeong-gyu was known to have given his dreams and hopes to a fan suffering from cancer, and he also created a lot of warmth. He met Hwang for the first time at a fan meeting after the end of the 2022 season, who revealed that he had stage 3 colon cancer at the time. At this time, Kim Young-gyu signed a cheering message with a message of encouragement to Mr.
Hwang, who received such support from Kim Yeong-gyu, recovered his health enough to visit the baseball field after the 8th round of chemotherapy on May 24 this year. On the day he met Kim Young-gyu at the stadium, Mr. Hwang thanked him and gave him a gift with the message, “The relief pitcher who gave hope.” In response, Kim Yeong-kyu also responded by handing over a signed ball along with a worn-out uniform.
Regarding the situation at the time, he said, “I didn’t do anything big. Everyone would have wished that such a situation would have come,” said Kim Yeong-gyu, shyly saying, “It was never a big deal. He was in a difficult situation, and he said that baseball was a ray of hope. I did it because I wanted to give more confidence and courage,” he laughed bashfully.
NC is having an impressive season this year. During the offseason, Yang Eui-ji, Noh Jin-hyuk, and Won Jong-hyun left for Doosan Bears, Lotte, and Kiwoom Heroes through free agents (FA), and key players suffered from large and small injuries, but did not fall into the lower ranks. NC, which is currently in 4th place with 55 wins, 2 draws and 49 losses, is aiming to advance to the postseason for the first time in 3 years since 2020 (combined championship at the time).
The pitching staff played a big role in this propaganda. Currently, the average ERA of the NC pitching staff is 3.73, ranking second among 10 clubs following the LG Twins (3.70).
When asked about the secret of the pitching staff’s performance, Kim Young-kyu said, “(Lee) Yong-chan hyung and (Lim) Jung-ho hyung take care of me a lot. He continues to go out to eat with me and pays a lot of attention to even the smallest details.” He said, “There are times when I can’t do it, so let’s focus on it with confidence.” Thanks to that, I feel like I am enjoying the season comfortably.”
Finally, he, who has postseason experience in the 2019 season (5th in NC final grades at the time) and the 2020 season, said, “It’s been a while since I didn’t play fall baseball. I really want to try fall baseball. This year, I hope to have fall baseball here at Changwon NC Park and feel the festive atmosphere with the home fans,” he said. “Now the players are doing very well. He did not hide his greed for fall baseball, saying, “If I manage well and keep the current momentum, I will be able to go to the postseason and play a good game even if I advance.”
