Doosan Bears starter Choi Min-seok pitches against the Lotte Giants during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Doosan Bears starter Choi Min-seok was not as highly touted as some of his contemporaries coming out of high school two years ago, with the club picking him in the middle of the second round at the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft. However, the right-hander recalls he still had unwavering faith in himself, believing that he could develop into a viable starting pitcher within two to three years.
Now in the midst of his second year, Choi is more than just that. Choi, who turns 20 on Thursday, has put up some of the best numbers by a starting pitcher in the KBO in 2026.
After hurling six shutout innings for a 5-0 win over the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, Choi has an 8-2 record with a 2.39 ERA in 15 starts, marked improvements from a 3-3 record and a 4.40 ERA in 17 outings as a rookie. Choi is second overall in ERA and is tied with two others for second in wins.
In other categories, Choi is seventh in innings pitched with 86 2/3, eighth in strikeouts with 80, and sixth in walks and hits per inning pitched with 1.18.
