The homegrown one-two punch of the Doosan Bears, Kwak Bin and Choi Min-seok, is making waves in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Their impressive performances are a boost for the Korean national baseball team, which is aiming for a fifth consecutive gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games.
Kwak Bin took the mound on August 23 at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, facing the Lotte Giants. He delivered a gem, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just one hit and two walks. With eight strikeouts over 102 pitches, Kwak secured his 10th win of the season against five losses.
This marks Kwak Bin’s first 10-win season since 2024.
After a disappointing 2022 campaign where he managed only five wins against seven losses in 19 appearances, Kwak has bounced back with a vengeance. His performance has been on an upward trajectory since June, posting sub-2.00 earned run averages (ERAs) in June, July, and August. His August numbers are particularly eye-popping, with a 1.04 ERA over four starts.
Currently tied for second in wins, Kwak is gunning for his second KBO wins title, having previously claimed the crown in 2024. He’s also leading the league in ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (161), putting him in prime position for a potential pitching Triple Crown.
Meanwhile, sophomore sensation Choi Min-seok is blossoming into a star in Doosan’s rotation.
In 21 starts this season, Choi has racked up 11 wins against just three losses, tying him for the league lead. He’s the youngest among the top winners, both in terms of age and experience. Doosan’s skipper, Kim Won-hyung, a former ace himself, can’t help but beam with pride when discussing Choi’s performances.
Like his teammate Kwak, Choi is also in the mix for multiple pitching titles. He’s currently tied for first in wins, leads the league in winning percentage, and ranks second in ERA.
As the regular season winds down, the stellar outings from these two hurlers have Team Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun grinning from ear to ear. Both Kwak and Choi have earned spots on the national team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
While the bullpen game strategy can be effective in international tournaments with compressed schedules, having starters who can go deep into games while limiting runs is still the ideal scenario.
In this light, Kwak and Choi have established themselves as Manager Ryu’s go-to options. Their consistency becomes even more crucial given the recent struggles of fellow national team pitchers Oh Won-seok and So Hyung-jun of the KT Wiz.
