Hanwha Eagles right-hander Moon Dong-ju (20) made his first start in the second half with 2 runs in 5 innings against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the 26th. As the match unfolded in the second half of the game, the victory could not be added, but in two weeks of practice, it produced a compliant result.
However, on this day, Moon Dong-ju seemed unable to utilize his pitch 100% regardless of his results. The maximum speed of the fastball came out to 157km, but there were not a few balls that stayed in the 140km range. He didn’t play to his advantage, striking out just one in five innings.꽁머니사이트
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho explained the reason for such a difficult balance ahead of the Kiwoom match on the 27th. Director Choi said, “So far, (Moon Jong-joo) has not been able to adapt to the pitching board of the Gocheok Dome mound. Yesterday, there were many images of the upper body leaning forward during pitching. If that happens, the arm will come out later,” he said. He continued, “I heard that Gocheok Dome uses a single pitching plate due to the hosting of international matches. All other stadiums in Korea use a two-tier pitching board. Players who do not have a lot of climbing experience at Gocheok Dome will definitely have difficulties.”
The two-tiered pitching plate coach Choi mentioned means a form in which another pitching board is planted in a cascading fashion in the mound. All eight stadiums except Gocheok Dome have a two-tier pitching board, and the pitching board planted below firmly supports the upper pitching board on which pitchers step.
Director Choi said, “When I watched (Moon) Dong-ju throw yesterday, I could see it slipping slightly. So he told me to throw without losing balance even if the pitching coach reduced his velocity a little.”
From last year to this year, Moon Dong-ju recorded 1 hold and ERA of 2.57 without winning or losing in 3 games at Gocheok Dome. His grades were good, but there was clearly a worry hidden in them. As much as he has added new experiences, he has to solve new challenges on his own in order to grow one step further.