‘Sajik Skubal’ Proves His Class in Japan... Kim Jin-wook Delivers a Strong Five-Inning, Two-Run Performance in His First National Team Start

[Financial News] “He proved that the nickname ‘Sajik Skubal’ was no empty boast.”
Kim Jin-wook, 24, Lotte Giants’ ‘next-generation ace,’ who once ruled at Sajik, showed his true worth on the mound at TOKYO DOME in the heart of Japan. Although he hung his head after surrendering a painful go-ahead two-run homer, his powerful stuff and outstanding ability to manage pressure showed he was more than capable of becoming a left-handed starter who could carry the future of Korean baseball.
Kim Jin-wook started against Japan in the second preliminary-round game of the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) at TOKYO DOME in Japan on the 13th. He threw 80 pitches over five innings, allowing four hits (one home run), three walks and two runs while striking out four in a strong outing.
Despite the pressure of making his first national team start, Kim Jin-wook got off to a smooth start. In the bottom of the first, he retired Japan’s top three—Tomoya Masaki, Rui Muneyama and Misho Nishikawa—in order on just seven pitches, taking control early.
In the bottom of the second, his control briefly wavered, and consecutive walks to leadoff hitters Koki Yamaguchi and Seiya Watanabe left him in a major jam with no outs and runners at first and second. But ‘cool under pressure’ Kim Jin-wook did not waver. With one out and runners on second and third, he put out the fire himself, using a blazing 148 km/h fastball to strike out Shinya Hasegawa and Taiga Kojima swinging in succession.
In the top of the third, Han Dong-hee, Kim Jin-wook’s teammate on the Lotte Giants, hit a solo homer to open the scoring and ease the pressure on him. But in the bottom of the third, as if fate were playing a cruel trick, a single mistake changed the course of the game.
After allowing leadoff hitter Yudai Shoji to hit a triple over the center fielder’s head, Kim threw a 132 km/h slider on his third pitch to Tomoya Masaki, whom he had retired on a groundout in the first. Masaki drove it over the center-field wall for a go-ahead two-run homer.
Rattled by the extra-base hit followed by the home run, Kim Jin-wook gave up consecutive singles to Muneyama and Nishikawa, putting runners at first and second with no outs. But his ability to manage trouble shone once again. After the slider was figured out, Kim switched his put-away pitch to the changeup. Having also issued a walk, he escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam by getting Shinya Hasegawa to fly out to left, preventing any further runs.
After escaping the jam, Kim Jin-wook settled down again. In the bottom of the fourth, he retired all three batters on 10 pitches. In the bottom of the fifth, he allowed just one baserunner, hit by a pitch, and kept Japan scoreless.
After reaching 80 pitches, Kim Jin-wook handed the mound to reliever Jeon Jun-pyo in the bottom of the sixth with his team trailing 2-1, ending his outing. It was disappointing that he was at risk of taking the loss because of the lack of run support, but his five-inning, two-run performance deserved applause: after appearing in relief at the Tokyo Olympics and Asian Games, he had finally stepped up as a national team ‘starter.’
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter