Samsung Lions closer Kim Jae-yoon collapsed. A walk in violation of the pitch clock led to a three-run home run in reverse. Kim Jae-yoon's ball power is unusual at the beginning of the 2025 season.안전놀이터

Kim Jae-yoon took the mound as a relief pitcher in a home game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Samsung Lion Park in Daegu on the 5th and became a losing pitcher with three hits (one homer) and one walk, one strikeout and three runs in one inning.

It was his first loss of the season and his first save. In the previous four games, Kim Jae-yoon made three saves without a single save. On the day, he allowed concentrated hits after two outs in the ninth inning, before kneeling down.

Samsung took the lead with a home run by leadoff hitter Lee Jae-hyun in the bottom of the first inning. Noh Si-hwan reported a timely RBI single in the top of the third inning, but Samsung took a 5-1 advantage with Kang Min-ho's timely RBI single in the bottom of the third and fifth innings, Diaz's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning and Lee Jae-hyun's RBI double.

From the beginning of the eighth inning, Hanwha was in a mood. Samsung deployed setup man Lim Chang-min. After holding two outs well, Lim allowed a solo home run to Moon Hyun-bin and a two-run home run to Lee Jin-young. Manager Park Jin-man deployed Kim Jae-yoon early. Kim Jae-yoon had a heavy hit by Lee Jae-won, but ended the eighth inning by striking out Shim Woo-joon. Kim Heon-gon's solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning made the game 6-4.

Kim was dead in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kim Jae-yoon, who also took the mound in the ninth inning, hit Hwang Young-mook with a fly ball to the center field and pinch hitter Lee Do-yoon with a ground ball to the second base. With only one out count to go before his team wins, Kim gained the upper hand by swinging on the first pitch and second pitch. Lim Jong-chan continued to bite him with fouls, becoming a full count. The moment Kim had to throw the eighth pitch, the pitch continued until 20 seconds passed after the pitch clock passed. A pitcher must throw within 20 seconds when there is no runner, and if he breaks the ball, he is given a ball. Eventually, the umpire declared a ball, resulting in a walk.

Kim Jae-yoon made an unfair gesture. With five seconds left before the pitch clock, Kim pulled out his foot and made a gesture of "time." However, the referee did not accept it.

Was it because he allowed an unexpected walk? Kim also had a hit against Noh Si-hwan. With runners on the first and second bases with two outs, Kim had two strikes again, and threw two consecutive balls. Five-pitch fork balls were fouls. Six-pitch fork balls were thrown to the center, leading to a come-from-behind three-run homer. Samsung lost the game 6-7.

Snowball that started with pitch clock seems to have rolled up a lot, but the root cause is lack of ball power. Currently, Kim Jae-yoon's hit rate is 0.364. The figure does not suit the closing pitcher of the team that is challenged to win the championship. Of the five games this year, the only perfect game without hitters was the match against KIA Tigers (one strikeout in one inning) on the 2nd. He allowed at least one hit each in four games, including the match against Hanwha Eagles.

His anxiety intensified since the game against the Daegu NC Dinos on April 27. Kim Jae-yoon, who took the mound in the ninth inning when his team was losing 5-7, rushed to the first and third bases with no outs after a double by Kim Hyung-joon and a hit by Do Tae-hoon. He seemed to take a breather with Seo Ho-cheol and Chun Jae-hwan, respectively, by throwing a catcher's foul fly and swinging strikeouts. However, he allowed Kwon Hee-dong to load the bases with two outs, and allowed Kim Joo-won to hit a double. As right-hander Lee Seung-hyun allowed a timely hit, Kim Jae-yoon's runs increased to four runs.

The Doosan Bears' game in Jamsil on the 30th was also disappointing. At that time, Kim Jae-yoon recorded an inning save, but allowed walks and hits to the first two batters, showing difficult pitching at the first and second bases with no outs. Above all, Yang Eui-ji hit a catcher's foul fly, but he did not make it to the home cover. The footage showed third baseman Kim Young-woong heading home in a hurry. A mistake not suitable for an 11-year veteran pitcher.

Frequent walks are another cause of concern. Kim gave up three walks while pitching in five innings this season. The ratio (BB/9) per nine innings translates to 5.40. Kim's overall BB/9 is 2.60. This shows his ball control ability faltering early in the season.

Of course, Kim Jae-yoon's batting average (BABIP) is currently 0.412. It is abnormally high compared to 0.311. The on-base percentage is also 40.0 percent, which is an unusual number. As of Tuesday, the earned run average (ERA) of 12.60 will gradually decrease if the season progresses.

Kim Jae-yoon, however, is a relief pitcher who should not be swayed. Manager Park Jin-man has predicted Kim Jae-yoon as a relief pitcher since the middle of the last season. Oh Seung-hwan, the "finalist," is scheduled to take the mound 6-7 times in 2025. As he is a pitcher who is responsible for the last part of his team, he needs to shake off his slump quickly. In his first season with Samsung in 2024, Kim Jae-yoon posted an ERA of 4.09 with 4 wins, 8 losses, 11 saves, and 25 holds. What kind of record will he set this season.