Kim Min-kyu (24), who made a name for himself as the Doosan Bears’ autumn Cinderella three years ago, has returned safely after completing his military duty.
Kim Min-gyu, who was a member of the Armed Forces Sports Corps (Sangmu), was ordered to be discharged on June 12, 2023. He enlisted on December 13, 2021 and made a comeback to the Doosan Bears after fulfilling his military service for 547 days (1 year, 5 months and 30 days).
Kim Min-gyu left Whimoon High School and was nominated by Doosan in the 2nd, 3rd round, 30th place in the 2018 rookie draft. And in the 2020 season, his third year as a professional, he made a strong impression with 29 games, 1 win, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 4.89, making his name known to Doosan fans. That year, he earned the nickname ‘Autumn Cinderella’ by showing tremendous counterplay in the playoffs (2 games, 1 win, 1 hold, average ERA of 0) and the Korean Series (3 games, 1 loss, 1 save, average ERA of 1.42).
After Kim Min-kyu joined Sangmu, he played the starting rotation all the time. In 2022, he appeared in 20 games (15 starts) and recorded an average ERA of 3.89 with 10 wins, 1 loss and 1 hold, and tied for second place in the Futures League with Lee Sang-young and Lee Won-jun. He pitched well with an ERA of 3.51. Against LG on the 10th (2 scoreless innings) was his last game as a soldier. 먹튀검증
Kim Min-kyu, who completed his military service safely, joined the Doosan 1st team immediately on the 13th and checked his skills in front of coach Lee Seung-yeop, whom he met for the first time. Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “Kim Min-gyu will join the first team. He practices with the players in Changwon,” he said. “He is a pitcher I have never been better than. Since he has been away for more than one season, he has to adjust to the team atmosphere. As he practiced, he revealed the plan, saying, “If he shows decent form, he will see the situation and register for the first team entry.”
Kim Min-gyu is an all-weather pitcher capable of both starting and bullpen positions. He has the ability to digest innings, so his long relief and substitute starters have a wide range of uses. Doosan is currently going through various trials and errors as rookies such as Choi Seung-yong and Kim Dong-ju are starting their first full-time season. The timing of Dylan Pyle’s replacement foreign pitcher has not yet been decided. Kim Min-kyu just finished his military service and returned to the team.