Kim Seo-joon (19), a rookie pitcher of the Kiwoom Heroes in professional baseball, made an impressive pitch in his first practice. 메이저놀이터

Kim Seo-joon appeared in relief in a practice game against the Zhongxin Brothers at CTBC Park in Pingtung County, Taiwan on the 20th and recorded one inning, one walk, two strikeouts and no runs. 

Kim Seo-joon, who took the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kiwoom lost 0-4, gave up a walk to the first batter, Sutting Run, but struck out the Superway. Chiang Kai-shek then hit a fly ball to the left field and struck out Huang Ting, who ended the inning without allowing a run. In the fifth inning, he replaced Park Jung-hoon to end the game. Kiwoom lost 1-8. 

Kim Seo-joon, who posted 22 pitches, faced Taiwanese batters with fastballs and sharp breaking balls that reached up to 146 kilometers per hour. Although he allowed one walk, most of the balls did not deviate significantly from the strike zone and actively competed with batters. 

In an interview after the game, Kim Seo-joon said, "I was nervous because it was my first real game in the professional league, but (Kim) Jae-hyun led me well, so I was able to throw it comfortably. I will try to show good performance without injury for the rest of the year." 

Kim Seo-joon, who joined Kiwoom in the first round (ranked seventh) of the 2025 Rookie Draft, played as an ace player at Chunghoon High School during his high school years. He had two wins and three losses with an earned run average of 2.25 in 18 games (56 innings) in his high school career. He showed off his good ball control since his high school days, as he walked only 2.09 per nine innings. 

In an interview on the 19th, Kim Seo-joon said, "I didn't try to improve my condition right away in the first camp. I trained well safely, thinking that I should not get injured and just balance. Now I have (Hong Won-ki) coach, but I'm trying to do what I have to do without being conscious as much as possible." He then added, "I don't think it's a bad arrest at this point," about throwing up to 145 kilometers in bullpen pitching and live pitching. 

"I think it's my strength to be able to throw the body course without fear," said Kim Seo-joon, who introduced himself as "a pitcher with great ball control and compliance." "At first, I was a little scared of throwing the body ball, but now I can throw well regardless of whether I'm a right-handed or left-handed batter." 

Kim Seo-joon used a curveball in his first practice game to steal a rookie strikeout. "A breaking ball throws sliders, curves, and forks," Kim said. "The most confident type of pitch is a curveball. You can suddenly steal a batter's timing, or you can induce a swing and miss due to good angle." 

Kim Seo-joon, who received the first round pick in the 2025 Rookie Draft, is not the highest rank in Kiwoom. Chung Hyeon-woo, who received the first overall pick during the same period, is available. Last year, Kiwoom traded its key shortstop Kim Hui-jip to NC and acquired the first round pick (seventh pick), and selected Chung as the first overall pick, and Kim as the seventh pick. 

Since there is a rookie in the same team who was nominated No. 1 overall, interest in Kim Seo-joon has to be relatively small. "I am really close with (Jeong) Hyun-woo," Kim said. "I used to know him as a friend of my friend, but we got along a lot while playing the youth team. He plays baseball very hard, and he is very bright and fun with his friends," Kim said. "Honestly, I naturally wish he would get some attention. But I think it's rather fortunate. I don't feel much pressure. I feel like I have a goal to do better and draw attention later on." 

"The coach said there is no order for me to come in, but I thought I should work harder when I heard that," Kim said. "I still can't believe I've become a professional player, but I think I'll feel real if I throw it in front of my fans. My goal this year is to play full-time in the first team," he said, renewing his commitment to make his debut in the first team.