I'm asking the secret to the 158km light speed sidearm, and the shocking answer is that I have no desire for restraint

Jan 28, 2025

The Kiwoom Heroes team left for Arizona, USA, through Incheon International Airport on the 23rd. Lee Kang-joon is posing for the press. Incheon International Airport = Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.01.23/

"When I tried to catch the ball, my speed went up."

Kiwoom Heroes should make it a season to forget the last day 'humiliating' when they fell to the bottom for two consecutive years this season.

Of course, the outlook is not bright. In fact, Kim Hye-sung, the center of the fielder, and Cho Sang-woo, the core of the bullpen, have left and become negative while their objective power is falling behind other teams. In addition, there are no Hurado and Heyesus, who are recognized as the strongest one-two punch in the league.

However, there is a possibility that Cho Sang-woo's vacancy will be filled by 'surprise star'. The main character is Lee Kang-joon, a sidearm who joined after being discharged from the military. Naturally, he was listed on the Arizona Spring camp list.

It became a sensation last year. He bombed the Futures League with a must-win in Sangmu and became the talk of the town by throwing a huge fastball of 158km at the Futures All-Star Game. Since the sidearm pitcher is 158km, fans who are even interested in baseball could not find who Lee Kang-joon was. He joined KT Wiz and began his professional career, went to Lotte Giants in a trade, and was named Kiwoom as a compensation player for FA Han Hyun-hee. Kiwoom believed in Lee Kang-joon's potential and made a bold investment even though he could not use it for nearly two years at Sangmu. Now it's time to pay off.

Sportschosun DB

Throwing 158 kilometers, what kind of coach would take him to the spring camp. That's why I said of course. Lee Kang-joon said, `I went to KT and Lotte for the first team camp. However, due to COVID-19, it was all domestic training. It's my first overseas training session. I feel so good. I'm excited because it's my first camp after being discharged from the military."

Lee Kang-joon felt the response by reversing the issue of the All-Star Game last year. The fans supported me a lot, and I did a lot of interviews," he said, adding that it was a difficult memory to forget.

But from now on, it's war. There is no law that a fast ball will survive in the first team unconditionally. Lee Kang-jun "I had a bad arm at the end of last year. A lot of time has been invested in recovery and reinforcement. Fortunately, I am in good shape now. There is no pain at all. I'm in great shape,' he said confidently. Lee Kang-joon also participated in training for the Premier 12 national team, which dropped out due to an elbow injury. He said "It was unfortunate, but opportunities could come in the future. I didn't think about elimination at the time, I just focused on recovering my elbow" said daintyly.

The Kiwoom Heroes team left for Arizona, USA, through Incheon International Airport on the 23rd. Lee Kang-joon is entering the departure hall. Incheon International Airport = Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.01.23/

Regarding the fastball that has become a hot topic, Lee Kang-joon said, `Honestly, I don't try to increase my speed limit" gave an unexpected answer. Then "There's really no greed. I'm just doing what I can do, so I'm getting more restrained. I was only focused on throwing strikes.' Still, when asked to introduce the secret, "The direction was changed. In the past, I used to use my body big to throw fast, but in Sangmu, I reduced my body use, just minding that I throw it into the home plate. So he told the behind-the-scenes story of the reversal, saying, "I can catch my ball and I can even catch it."

Regarding the possibility of returning to Kiwoom and performing in the must-win group, Lee Kang-joon said, `Honestly, I think there has been a big opportunity. But our team is not a team with poor pitching. In addition, since it is the first camp in Kiwoom, there may be another injury due to greed. He said, "I'm just going to do what I did at Sangmu and not overdo it." Then "As a professional player, of course, I have greed. But greed is not enough. He doesn't even have any thoughts on his job right now. I've been playing baseball thinking only about today and tomorrow's game to play right away. We will do that this season as well."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.