It’s amazing.
Korean military athletic unit (Sangju) pitcher Lee Kang-joon has shown remarkable performance in the 2024 MediHill KBO Futures League. He has played in 40 games (43.1 innings), winning two games, losing 10 and making 10 saves with an eight-hold average of 0.83.40 games without allowing a single goal in 38 games.
Lee took the mound for the first time in a game against KT on March 27. After 10 consecutive games without allowing a single goal, he allowed three hits and two runs in one inning against LG on May 10, breaking his scoreless streak. Then, he continued his scoreless streak in 22 consecutive games, and lost the game against Lotte on August 23 by allowing three hits, two strikeouts and five runs (two earned runs) in 0.2 innings. Then again, he lost the last six consecutive games without allowing a single goal. 토토사이트
Lee Kang-joon also took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning against Samsung at Gyeongsan Stadium on the 13th, striking out Kim Se-min and Oh Hyun-seok, respectively, and got a hit by Gong Min-gyu, but turned Kim Min-ho into a ground ball to shortstop.
Even a bullpen pitcher and a Futures League player, it is a remarkable record to finish 38 games without losing a point in 40 games. There were only 13 walks (12 pitches and one fit ball) and 33 strikeouts.
Lee Kang-joon, a native of Seorak Middle School and Seorak High School, wore the KT Wiz uniform as the 22nd pick in the second and third rounds of the 2020 Rookie Draft. Later, he came to the Lotte Giants through a one-on-two trade with Kim Joon-tae and Oh Yoon-seok in the middle of the 2021 season, and became a member of the Kiwoom Heroes as Han Hyun-hee’s FA reward player after the end of the 2022 season. He has never played a game for Kiwoom. He joined Sangmu with a record of 9.51 ERA with one win and one hold in 32 games in the first team. He will be discharged from the military on Nov. 7.
Lee made headlines by throwing 158 kilometers at the 2024 KBO Futures All-Star Game held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on July 5. His average fastball speed was 153 kilometers. Everyone was surprised.
Lee Kang-joon, who continued to show his presence in the Futures League, was listed on the preliminary list of 60 players for the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 “Team Korea” announced on the 12th. He is the only Sangmu player. Kiwoom, which will be a team after being discharged from the military, was named as pitcher Ha Young-min and Joo Seung-woo, infielder Song Sung-moon and outfielder Lee Ju-hyung.
Lee Kang-joon’s performance also makes Kiwoom fans laugh. Kim Dong-wook and Joo Seung-woo have been absent from the roster this season due to injury, but another fastball pitcher Jo Sang-woo can also add strength as a key bullpen resource. On top of that, left-hander Kim Jae-woong, who will return for the 2026 season, left and right, and sidearm Lee Kang-joon. This is an exciting combination for Kiwoom, which is drawing a beautiful future.
“I think the biggest difference is living a regular business life,” said Lee Kang-joon, who met him at the All-Star game of Futures. “He keeps giving me meals every time. If you don’t eat then, you can’t eat at all. You have to eat even a little bit. It was easy to build up your body. I naturally developed my condition. Weightlifting facilities are good. I have no problem working out at all,” Lee said. “When I was at KT and Lotte, I always ask good players. When I was with KT, I talked a lot with (the late) Young-pyo and (small) Hyeong-jun. When I was with Lotte, I often asked (former) Seung-min and (Kim) Won-joong chasing after my brother. I remembered each other’s words. They help me a lot in controlling ball control. (Lee) Jung-yong and (Bae) Jae-sung give me really good words. Thanks to you, I am maintaining good performance.”