Bears won't restrict innings for emerging young pitcher
Doosan will not impose an innings cap on 20-year-old Choi Min-seok, who has 13 wins so far this season, as the Bears push toward the postseason.
Doosan Bears pitcher Choi Min-seok delivers a pitch during a game against the Kiwoom Heroes in Seoul on Aug. 30.
DOOSAN BEARS
In his breakout second-year campaign, Doosan Bears starter Choi Min-seok has already thrown 50 more innings than he did during his entire rookie season in 2025.
However, the lanky 20-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, as he went a perfect 4-0 in August with an excellent 2.45 ERA. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in all four of his starts last month.
For the season, Choi is tied for the KBO lead with 13 wins and owns the second-lowest ERA with 2.61 over 127 2/3 innings.
With Choi performing well and the Bears trying to move up in the ongoing battle for postseason spots, manager Kim Won-hyong said Wednesday there will be no innings restriction placed on the right-hander.
“Coming into this season, we did not set any limit on how many innings Min-seok would throw,” Kim told reporters before taking on the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. “I believe our coaches have done a great job managing his health. We already gave him some extra time off earlier in the year so that he will be able to finish the season without getting hurt.”
In recent years, it has become a common practice for teams, both in the KBO and MLB, to cap innings for young starting pitchers early in their careers. In Choi's case, an annual jump of 50 innings might have prompted some teams to take extra caution.
Kim, a former star pitcher in his playing days, said he would like his starters, young or old, to reach at least 144 innings — the minimum required to qualify for the ERA title in a standard, 144-game KBO season.
“Just because someone is young, it does not mean we have to set a limit on how many innings he should pitch in a year,” Kim added.
Kim also opined that a pitcher's mechanics and delivery do not have a direct correlation with injuries.
“We cannot predict how the human body will respond. You can have great mechanics and still get hurt,” Kim said. “Some will be injured after one year but others will pitch 10 years without getting hurt. With Min-seok, I think he has a pretty strong foundation.”
Yonhap
