Instead of changing the submarine that overcame seven left-handed hitters, the splitter, the memory of 10 wins is now starting
Jul 03, 2024
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On the 30th of last month. Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop was thinking of taking the starting pitcher replacement faster than usual.
Doosan's starting pitcher is Choi Won-joon, a right-handed sidearm. At that time, SSG formed the starting lineup in the order of Jihoon Choi, Choo Shin-soo, Choi Jeong, Han Yu-seom, Park Sung-han, Kim Min-sik, Park Ji-hwan, Jeon Eui-san, and Jung Hyun-seung. Except for Choi Jung and Park Ji-hwan, they were all left-handed hitters.
Before the game, Choi Won-joon was not good with a 7.12 ERA in 12 games. Moreover, it is not easy for right-handed sidearm pitchers to compete with left-handed hitters. Choi Won-jun's hit rate against left-handed hitters reached 363 in 12 games.
However, contrary to concerns, Choi Won-joon tied the SSG lineup tightly. He kept the mound with two hits, no four outs, three strikeouts and one run in five innings. After one out in the top of the second inning, a wild pitch came out in a strike-not-out situation, leading to a base hit and a sacrifice fly, but other pitching was clean.
Manager Lee said, `I was preparing for the replacement, thinking that the timing could come quickly because seven left-handed hitters came out`"Choi Won-jun's splitter is definitely better than before, so he induced more swings and misses."
Choi Won-jun practiced change-up with coach Cho Woong-cheon ahead of this season. He needed a weapon to tie up left-handed hitters, and coach Cho, who had a lot of fun by installing changeups as his main weapon as a side-arm pitcher when he was active, stepped up as a dedicated markman.
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He practiced steadily during the spring camp, but it was not easy to install change-ups. In the end, he changed direction. Instead of a change-up, I've refined the splitter even more. Choi Won-jun "Change-up was not easy. The throwing feeling didn't go well with me," he recalled.
First of all, it worked properly in its last appearance in the first half. Coach Lee said, `Although I let the runner out on the wild pitch and lost a point with a sacrifice fly, I think it was the best pitching of the season.'
Choi Won-joon will also play the starting rotation in the second half as he achieved the beauty of the ending in the first half. With four wins in the first half, a double-digit victory that has not been reached since 2021 is not a dream.
bellstop@sportschosun.com
