Return off-season break → Australia-US \'Gooseul Sweat\' KIA Kwak Do-gyu "I want to help the left-hander kingdom." 스포츠토토핫

Kwak Do-gyu, who joined KIA as the 42nd pick in the 5th round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Gongju Middle School and Gongju High School, stood out in the process of preparing for the season and received a passing point from the coaching staff.

Kwak Do-gyu, who had the opportunity at exhibition games, maintained a smooth flow by allowing one hit and three strikeouts in four innings in five games. He also joined the opening entry, raising expectations.

However, Kwak was sluggish in his two appearances in April, allowing three hits, three strikeouts and three runs in one ⅔, and was notified that he would go to the second division. Since then, he has only pitched in one game in May and three games in June, and since September, he has shown poor performance in nine ⅔, six innings, nine hits, six strikeouts and six runs. Kwak\'s final results during the regular season are 14 games, 11 ⅔, and an ERA of 8.49 in 11 ⅔.

Kwak Do-gyu, who realized the high walls of the first team, said, "It was good to be in the first team from the pilot game to the beginning of the season, and I learned a lot every time I went down from the first team to the second team. That\'s why I was able to finish the season in the first team."

"Rather than just being disappointed, I regained my mind thinking that I needed to make up for the shortcomings quickly, but there was also a time when I fell into a slump by myself. I think that\'s how I learned a lot," he added.

Perhaps that\'s why Kwak gave up his off-season break and made efforts to improve his skills. After the last season, he left for Australia to play for the Canberra Cavaliers in the Australian Baseball Organization (ABL). His ERA was 3.12 in six games and eight ⅔.

Kwak returned from Australia and headed to the U.S. soon after. He was dispatched to Driveline Baseball Center in Seattle with his teammates Jung Hae-young, Lee Eui-ri, Yoon Young-cheol and Hwang Dong-ha for 34 days from mid-December last year. Driveline is known to help pitchers improve their skills, including increased speed and pitch.

Kwak Do-gyu said, "I think I\'m getting good results from studying abroad. It was a unique experience," expressing satisfaction, "I learned about practical experience in Australia and definitely learned about it by analyzing parts that relied on persimmons in the U.S."

Obviously, the feeling has changed. Kwak Do-gyu, who showed off his powerful pitching since the first camp in Canberra, Australia, said, "If there was a part that I relied on, that part definitely got better because I knew what was wrong and threw it, and talking with the coaches also helps."

What did you talk about with the coaches Chung Jae-hoon and Lee Dong-geol who joined the team this winter? "Coach Chung told me not to oppress myself mentally, but to relax. I try to relax and put down my burden when it\'s not training time," Kwak said. "Coach Lee Dong-gul gave me advice on the pitching tunnel because there are many balls that bend from side to side."

Kwak Do-gyu, who is playing the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, focused on actual games, recorded one hit, one strikeout and one run in one inning against KT Wiz on the 25th of last month, and showed better pitching with one hit and no run in one inning against Lotte Giants on the 28th.

"I don\'t know what to expect (for this season), but I think I\'ll do the same thing. I think I can do well," Kwak said. "There is no numerical goal, and I want to play the season without any injuries."

Kia has many young left-handed pitchers with a lot of potential, including Lee Eui-ri, Yoon Young-cheol, and Kim Ki-hoon. There is also a positive outlook that the team will build a new "left-handed kingdom." "Doesn\'t the fact that there are many left-handed pitchers in the team mean that there are many things to see and learn from them? There are many things I felt while exercising together," Kwak Do-gyu said. "I want to contribute to the left-handed kingdom together."