A good finish followed by a clean start.
Moon Dong-ju (20), a right-handed pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles who made his debut last year, had to carry a particularly heavy burden among rookie players who have entered the professional arena in recent years. Known as a ‘fire bowler’ since high school, he was considered a rival for pitching along with KIA Tigers’ first-choice Kim Do-young (20) and became famous even before the rookie draft. On top of that, while receiving a down payment of 500 million won, he was definitely classified as the “biggest fish” among rookies in 2022.메이저놀이터
The appearance of a large rookie always makes everyone excited. Of course, expectations are high. It is expected that he will overcome the unimaginable burden and show monstrous performances in his debut season like Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays), Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes), and Kang Baek-ho (KT Wiz).
However, the rookie who writes such a scenario is one of the best ever. Moon Dong-ju also failed to satisfy many people who were watching him closely. He finished his debut season with a 5.65 earned run average (ERA) with 1 win, 3 losses and 2 holds in 13 games.
He doesn’t seem to have much to say, but he has a record that has a lot of meaning to him. It was his first starting win in his debut against SSG Landers on October 3, his last appearance last year (5 innings, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, 8 strikeouts).
He suffered losses in all three starts before reporting his first win in his debut. It was his first approval after winning three consecutive starts, and it was all the more meaningful because his opponent was SSG, who won the ‘Wire to Wire’ championship. He ended his debut season, which was burdened with a lot of pressure, by winning the last appearance of the season against the championship team.
After a smooth finish, it was off to a good start. On the 20th (Korean time), Moon Dong-ju started a practice game against the Dutch national team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, and pitched 2 scoreless innings. The fastest fastball was 156km. He showed off his strengths and improved by showing off his strength against the Dutch lineup, which is lined with major league stars.
It’s only two starts, but it’s a very big income for Moon Dong-ju. A lot of eyes are still on him, but he is getting over the pressure little by little. Knowing how to relieve a big burden little by little is also a very meaningful growth process for Moon Dong-ju.