“Actually, I took a picture alone on my way to work, but the bullpen catcher passed by and said, ‘I’m sorry, but please take one picture’. It felt good.”
It is no exaggeration to say that Hanwha Eagles fireballer Moon Dong-ju (20) is the player who made the most noise in the KBO league this season. Moon Dong-ju surprised baseball fans by recording the highest fastball speed of 160.1 km against the KIA Tigers in Gwangju on the 12th. Moon Dong-ju became the first Korean pitcher to exceed 160 km of the horse, revealing the future of not only Hanwha but also Korean mounds.
Hanwha has been fully prepared to commemorate the performance of Moon Dong-ju, who set a record that will remain in the history of the KBO League. Moon Dong-joo prepared several events in line with the starting pitching schedule for the Doosan Bears home game on the 18th. Hanwha designated the game on the 18th as ‘160 DAY’ and presented Moon Dong-ju photo cards engraved with 160.1 km to the first 1,600 spectators who visited the stadium. On the outdoor stage, a ‘160.1km’ sculpture was erected so that fans could take pictures.
On his way to work, Mun Dong-ju found a sculpture commemorating his record and had no choice but to stop. At first, he only wanted to take a selfie in front of the sculpture, but he asked a bullpen catcher passing by to take a picture and took a full-body picture.
Moon Dong-joo shook his head, saying, “It’s embarrassing,” when asked to release a commemorative photo, but said, “It feels good to take a picture. Rather than boasting to my family, I talked a lot about being grateful.
It is also a pleasure to see the release of commemorative goods such as photo cards and T-shirts. Moon Dong-joo said, “Actually, that kind of thing doesn’t come out easily. I think it’s meaningful too. I think it will help me to pitch with confidence because I’m that good at the ball. I’m not satisfied, but it’s an opportunity to pitch with confidence.” gone,” he said.
Moon Dong-ju started in three games this season and made a big success with 1 win and 1 loss, 16⅔ innings, and an average ERA of 1.08. Hanwha coach Carlos Subero is watching Moon Dong-joo’s performance with pleasure, but is thoroughly managing the young player so that he does not get hurt by over-pacing. Moon Dong-ju was canceled from the first team entry for a break on the 19th, as planned by the club, and is scheduled to return to the Daejeon NC Dinos match on the 29th and rotate the starting rotation again.
Moon Dong-ju pitched 28⅔ innings last year, his rookie season. He pitched no more than 30 innings, which made him eligible to challenge for the Rookie of the Year title until this year. At the current pace, there is a high possibility that Hanwha will become the rookie of the year for the first time in 17 years since Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) in 2006.
Moon Dong-ju, who reached the top in Korea in terms of restraint, is now trying to grow as a pitcher by watching and learning from top pitchers in the KBO League. One of them is Choi Won-joon (29), who was the starting pitcher for Doosan in the game on the 18th. Choi Won-joon paid attention to his ability to manage the game with 105 pitches in 7 innings.
Moon Dong-joo said, “Actually, the day was humid during the game, so I went to change clothes, but (Hanwha attack) innings continued to end quickly. When I looked for the reason, (Choi Won-joon) threw it where it was difficult for batters to hit. He threw like that I felt that I was pitching efficiently. Watching the pitching of my seniors, I thought again of myself, and I think I threw a lot while thinking a lot on the mound. I thought I had to learn.”
Kiwoom Heroes Ace Ahn Woo-jin (24) is the senior Moon Dong-ju ultimately wants to catch up to. Woojin An is recording 1 win, 1 loss, 25 innings, 39 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.08 in 4 games this year. He continues his unstoppable move, boasting an overwhelming pitch to the extent of recording double-digit strikeouts in 3 out of 4 games.
Moon Dong-ju said,메이저놀이터 “(Ahn) Woo Jin-hyung is showing the best grades in Korea last year and this year, but I haven’t shown that yet. It’s a goal,” he said forcefully.