“The best condition” regular season period Moon Dong-joo expects the KS effect of the No. 1 team in Hangzhou

The value of a power pitcher in a short game cannot be overemphasized. If a pitcher overwhelms the opponent’s batters with a fastball of well over 150 kilometers per hour, it naturally brings the atmosphere of the game. Hanwha Moon Dong-joo (20), the starting pitcher who throws the fastest ball in the KBO League, will finish the regular season early and prepare for his debut for the adult national team.

Moon Dong-joo finished the 2023 regular season with a start against LG in Jamsil on the 3rd. He threw 105 pitches and allowed three runs in 4.1 innings, and came down from the mound bravely when the replacement sign came out. It was the last appearance of the regular season, which was regrettable, but it was this season that had a lot of things to gain. 바카라

The biggest income is also ‘health’. He failed to complete the season due to two injuries last year when he was in his first year as a professional, but there was no single injury issue this year. He continued to rotate and recorded less than 120 innings set by the club. In the 2023 season, Moon Dong-joo recorded 8 wins, 8 losses, and a 3.72 ERA in 118.2 innings in 23 games. WAR (contribution to victory over substitute players: Statistics) is 2.48, ranking first among the Rookie of the Year candidates.

Another thing I gained is my experience as a pitcher. I’m learning how to relax my so-called strength, not just throw it hard. He started to use his excellent pitching mechanics that came out more than 150 kilometers even if he threw with 80 or 90 percent of power. As he relaxed, the proportion of strikes increased and walks decreased. Compared to last year, the number of walks per nine innings increased from 4.40 to 3.19, and the on-base percentage decreased from 0.341 to 0.317.

It is also encouraging that the second pitch, the curve, is familiar to the hand and has begun to use high fastballs to take advantage of it. If the combination of high fastball and curve is fully established, Moon Dong-joo will get his own winning formula that can overcome any batter.

Early on, talent was recognized. However, it seemed that it would take a considerable amount of time for the talent to bloom. Since he specialized in pitching from his second year of high school, he seemed to have to go through various processes from joining the professional league to becoming a starting pitcher.

However, it shows absorption like a sponge and grows rapidly. So it can mean a lot to having a healthy season. Because I maintained my health, I was able to take the mound steadily and improve my skills.

And at the end of this month, I will wear the Taegeuk mark. Moon Dong-joo will wear a uniform with the Taegeuk mark from the date of the call-up of the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team scheduled for the 22nd. Unlike other national team players, Moon can focus on conditioning for more than three weeks before his first appearance at the Asian Games.

This is likely to be a good thing for the national team. Unlike Kwak Bin, Won Tae-in, Park Se-woong and Lee Eui-ri, who are candidates for starting pitchers for the national team, Moon Dong-joo will fully recover without practice in the future.

Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said, “It’s similar to the period of winning the regular season and preparing for the Korean Series. The No. 1 team takes about three weeks off and enters the Korean Series, and pitchers’ pitching is really good then. “I think Dong-joo will be in the best condition among the national team pitchers,” he predicted.

Choi witnessed and experienced this while playing for Hyundai when he was active. SK, Samsung, and Doosan, which have been dynasties since Hyundai, also used to throw the best ball in the Korean Series after finishing first in the regular season. Moon Dong-joo, who shot 160km at the beginning of the season, can throw a fiery ball at the Asian Games.

In the era of the restraint revolution, Moon Dong-ju is becoming the hope of Korean baseball. The Hangzhou Asian Games may be a stage where that hope becomes a reality. Taiwan, which is considered a difficult opponent, also set up a young national team with the winning members of the 2019 Gijang Youth Championship. Moon Dong-joo can serve as the vanguard in the young confrontation between South Korea and Taiwan.