Kiwoom Heroes Ian McKinney (29) is raising expectations with his first victory in his debut.
McKinney joined Kiwoom as a replacement foreign pitcher for Eric Yokishi, who left Kiwoom due to an injury. Not much information was known about him because he had no major league experience and had played in the American independent league. The size of his contract was also not large, with a total of 185,000 dollars (approximately 241.61 million won). His guaranteed annual salary is $100,000 (approximately 130.6 million won), which is the lowest among foreign players playing in the KBO league this season.바카라
McKinney, who debuted in the KBO League against Doosan on the 25th of last month, recorded a loss with 5 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts and 2 runs in 4 innings. Although he became a losing pitcher, he showed a stable appearance after conceding a run in the first inning and hinted at his potential.
McKinney won a scoreless victory against SSG on the 1st with 6 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. After his debut, he won his first debut victory in the second appearance, raising expectations. In an interview after the match, he said, “I feel so good today. I’m glad the results turned out so well today. There were many good plays on defense as well. He also had a good relationship with catcher Kim Dong-heon. Today feels like a victory achieved by all the players.”
In an interview at the time when McKinney was about to debut, coach Hong Won-ki said, “McKinney took catcher Kim Dong-heon and talked for a while. I believe that the two players will produce good results with good coordination.”
Rookie catcher Kim Dong-heon, who worked with McKinney twice, said, “McKinney talked about what type of pitcher he was and what kind of ball he wanted to throw. He talked to me and I felt he was a really good player. He also feels a bit like a teacher. Still, he thinks it’s important to know what kind of player he is, and I got the impression that he was well prepared in that respect,” he said of his first impression of McKinney.
Regarding McKinney’s self-introduction, Kim Dong-heon said, “He said that he liked the vertical movement of the ball, so he felt faster than other hitters. And he said that he could use the deciding ball well, such as the curveball and changeup, so he thought about those parts and formulated the ball.”
McKinney, who is interested in data and is trying to quickly adapt to the characteristics of Korean hitters, said, “It seems that there are many hitters who focus more on contact. He fouls out a lot and tries to hit balls in play as much as possible. American hitters often aim for long hits and swing big. As a result, it is relatively easy to induce misses and strikeouts. There are many different types of hitters in Korea, so I think we need to target the strike zone more aggressively and make adjustments.” He continued, “In the United States, there are a lot of floating balls lately. However, in Korea, there are a lot of ground balls, so it seems to be an environment where you can get a lot of help from infielders.”
Attention is focusing on whether McKinney, who has shown potential, will be able to fill the void in Yokishi and fill a spot in the Kiwoom starters.