KIA Tigers right-hander Kim Do-hyeon (24) is off to a strong start as a trustworthy starting pitcher. He was selected as the starting pitcher for the opening game for the first time since his debut, and played his part in two games. He had no win due to lack of support from the batters, but displayed prowess in five starts, including the first starter. He is also displaying the qualities of a native ace following Yang. 먹튀검증

He started the game against the Samsung Lions for the second time in this season at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Saturday. His pitching and performance were excellent. He kept the mound until the sixth inning against Samsung hitters, who had strong slugging capability. He garnered five hits, one walk, seven strikeouts, and two runs, in honor of his performance. 

Leading 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning was regrettable. After one out, he had a left-handed hit that was missed by Park. Left fielder Lee Woo-sung thought it was a big hit, so he failed to dash and became a hit. Later, he was hit by a double to right field by Diaz, who was in danger of hitting the second and third bases. He threw a cutter-like slider against Kim Young-woong, but it was a timely hit that was missed. 

He pitched well without allowing any runs through the third inning, and did not yield any runs in the fifth and sixth innings afterwards. After allowing two runs in six innings against Kiwoom, he continued his quality start streak for two consecutive games. His second consecutive QS is the only record among Kia's starting pitchers. Ace Nail allowed five scoreless innings and six scoreless innings. He ranks second with an ERA of 1.50 after Nail. He is the fifth starting pitcher, but his pitching is based on the details of his pitching. 

He displayed various pitching arsenals including two-seam, four-seam, slider and change-up. Notably, his breaking balls, which constantly change up, down, left and right near the strike zone, stood out. As he has only 147 kilometers of maximum speed limit, he is expected to become a more powerful starting pitcher if he achieves speedup in the future. He also showed off his stamina to throw 92 pitches. 

He gained experience by playing in 12 games as a substitute starter last year. This year, he competed with Hwang for the fifth starting pitcher, and was proudly selected. Now, he is off to a successful start that does not overshadow his reputation as a native ace. Even if Lee returns to the mound in June, he has demonstrated his ability to compete with confidence. 

Kia has suffered upset losses frequently as its bullpen, which led to its win last year, was shaky. In addition, due to Kim Do-young, Park Chan-ho, and Kim Seon-bin's injury, its lineup does not have a multi-point structure that determines the winner or loser, unlike last year. Only the starting lineup is struggling. If the starting lineup is strong, it can restore its strength. At the center of the struggle is Kim Do-hyun, a young gun who is trying to win the first year of full-time selection.