Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop, who played an active role as a national hitter during his active career, completely quenched his thirst for fireball through an expedition to Daejeon last week. Coach Lee was convinced that the appearance of the ‘160km duo’ Moon Dong-ju (20) and Kim Seo-hyeon (19) would lead to the development of Korean baseball.
Coach Lee experienced a fresh shock in the 3 consecutive matches between Daejeon and Hanwha on the 18th and 20th. It is because I saw with my own eyes a pitcher (Moon Dong-ju) who threw the so-called dream 160 km and a pitcher (Kim Seo-hyun) who threw a speed close to it. In the meantime, from the perspective of Lee, who had a great thirst for fireballers in Korean baseball while serving as KBO public relations ambassador, commentator, and chairman of the Baseball Scholarship Foundation, the appearance of the two players was more welcome than ever.
Moon Dong-ju, who came out of Jinheung High School and was nominated for the first round of 2022 Hanwha, broke the KBO league’s highest speed by throwing a fastball of 160.1 km/h against Chan-ho Park in the first inning against KIA in Gwangju on the 12th. Moon Dong-ju is the first Korean player to throw a fastball over 160 km since 2011, when the pitch tracking system (PTS) of Sports 2I, an official KBO record statistics company, began to be officially counted. The previous record was 158.7km, which Lotte Choi Dae-seong sprayed against Hanhwa Jang Seong-ho on September 7, 2012. On the 18th, against Doosan in Daejeon, Moon Dong-ju pitched a fastball, throwing 2 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts, and no runs in 5⅔ innings.
Kim Seo-hyun’s restraint is also not easy. Kim Seo-hyun, from Seoul High School, was selected as the 1st pick in the 2023 rookie draft in the first round of Hanwha, and made a first-team debut against Doosan in Daejeon on the 19th, leaving a strong impression with 1 inning, 2 strikeouts and no runs. His highest velocity was 157.9 km based on the KBO official PTS, and measured at 160.1 km based on the Trackman system used by the Hanwha club.
Manager Lee, who dealt with all of them in Daejeon, said, “It is a very good thing when you look at baseball as a whole. As you may have seen in the WBC (World Baseball Classic), there were many pitchers who threw 160 km, and most of them had an average velocity of over 150 km. . However, it is nice to see players who throw fast balls such as Moon Dong-ju, Kim Seo-hyun, and Ahn Woo-jin (Kiwoom) appear.”
Director Lee went further and said,안전놀이터 “If one person hits, they continue to hit in a chain. Regarding restraint, when such players as Ahn Woo-jin, Moon Dong-ju, and Kim Seo-hyun come out, young players will learn.” I wish there were more fastball pitchers. I also hope that it will come out of our team.”
If so, can the successive appearances of fireballers help development of batting? Director Lee said, “No matter how fast the ball is, you will adapt if you see it with your eyes and react with your body. It’s difficult at first, but if you get used to it, you can attack,” he said. “When Korean batters first saw An Woo-jin and Moon Dong-ju, they would be surprised, but if they keep watching and adapting, they will be able to find a strategy.”