Hit → ball ball ball → ball ball ball 150km fastball alone loaded with nine bases and a steel plate. Shocking first-team debut of a fastball prospect. Will the big sigh effort of the rancour go up in smoke?
Mar 03, 2025
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It's back to the beginning. Even if it was the first first team match, the process that had been done well seemed to have been reset in an instant.
LG Twins' tall fastball pitcher Heo Yong-joo is a prospect that manager Yeom Kyung-yeop has been raising with a long-term plan since last season.
A 1m94 tall pitcher who graduated from Yongma High School and joined as 67th in the seventh round in 2023. It was truly 'Wonseok', spraying a fast ball over 150km. The problem is control.
Manager Yeom called Heo Yong-joo to Jamsil every time there was a home game since the middle of last year's season to raise him and provided intensive guidance with pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam. In order to stabilize control, I trained to make a simple form and develop the senses of my fingertips.
It seemed to show results. He showed pitching with fewer walks in the Futures League game at the last minute. He shot up to 154 kilometers in the fall league. During the closing camp, Hur Young-joo received the same training as the Japanese players at the Chunichi Dragons in Japan. Nevertheless, he consistently trained what he learned from coach Yeom and coach Kim Kwang-sam.
Heo Yong-joo, who continued his training in Arizona camp, started his first game against seniors in the Blue and White Warriors on February 20. He allowed three hits, one strikeout and two runs in one inning. At that time, the maximum speed was 152km, the fastest speed among pitchers who pitched on the day.
Coach Yeom gave a rather positive review. "I had a hit in the Blue and White game, but there were some hits because the defense couldn't help me." The fact that there were no walks is a huge improvement. He was the pitcher who threw into the net at first. Our pitching coaches really went through a lot."
Although he is making progress, there is still a lot to be refined, so Yeom frequently watched permissionist training in the second camp in Okinawa, pointing out when his form was in disarray, and tried to stabilize his pitching form.
`There are many more things to prepare to use in the first team right now,' he said, `If he comes up later in the season and gains experience, he may be able to challenge the must-win group next season.'
In this practice game, he also paid attention to the timing of his appearance. He said he would let him take the mound when he was losing, not when he was winning, but when the atmosphere moved on to the other side and threw with a comfortable mind.
And Heo Yong-joo took the mound in the top of the ninth inning in a practice game against KT Wiz on the 2nd. It was shortly after rookie Kim Young-woo hit a two-run home run by KT Kim Min-hyuk in a tight 0-0 match. With the score trailing 0-2, Heo Yong-joo was hit by KT Yoo Jun-kyu in the left-handed position at the first pitch.
There was a sharp shake. The first pitch thrown at Kang Hyun-woo became a ball that went wide outside. The second pitch is a wild pitch that falls back. In the third pitch with one out and a runner on the second base, Heo Yong-joo, who threw a high ball on the body, also completely went outside in the fourth pitch and threw a ball that the catcher managed to catch. a straight walk.
Even after being hit by Oh Jae-il with his left hand, he couldn't catch the ball. The ball thrown outside the first pitch became a ball, and the second ball on the body became another wild pitch, and the runner became the second and third base. After that, two balls became another ball, and he walked straight. One hit and two straight walks loaded the bases with one out. In the end, he replaced the rookie pitcher, Yoo Hyun-hyun. Yoo Hyun-hyun allowed two walks and an error-prone infield hit to give him three runs. All of them were allowed to lose because the allowed to run was a runner. The game ended up losing 0-5.
All nine pitches thrown by Heo Yong-joo were fastballs. The maximum speed was 150km, and the minimum speed was 147km. The ball was fast, but it was not controlled at all, so the game itself could not be played.
Director Yeom said, `I'm worried that my efforts will go up in smoke," he sighed loudly.
LG has had high expectations because pitchers have been in good condition. Not only the starting team but also the bullpen pitchers who need to be raised this season pitched well as their efforts so far seemed to be paying off. Before giving up five runs in the ninth inning against KT, he only allowed one run in 26 innings, including KIA and Samsung, and he was in a scoreless streak for 21 innings.
Heo Yong-ju said his goal this season is to throw the ball in the first team. When will he be able to solve it, who has more than 150 kilometers of talent but has a big homework to improve his ball control.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
