KIA’s starting rotation has been unstable throughout the season. It seemed to be complete, but recently another hole appeared. Foreign player Mario Sanchez left the team due to an elbow injury. Although the speed of recovery is faster than expected, he will not be seen on the first-team mound for the time being.메이저놀이터
By the time Sánchez returns, Lee Ui-ri will probably not be in Korea. Lee Ui-ri was called up to the Hangzhou Asian Games national team. He will join the national team on September 22nd. He only has about two appearances left before he goes to the national team. The schedule here is also tight. We had a double header with LG in Gwangju on the 9th, but we still have to wait for two more. A replacement starter is needed, but so far the fog has not cleared up easily.
There was also a tendency to prefer bullpen relays rather than replacement starters when starters failed. So he did not fully experiment with alternative starting resources. It is clear that this is a factor of anxiety at the end of the season. In such a situation, KIA fans saw one hope on the 9th. I sensed potential in the energetic pitching of second-year pitcher Hwang Dong-ha (21), a right-hander. Although he is still a young player and does not have much first-team experience, he shows himself as a decent starter every time he takes the mound.
Hwang Dong-ha, who graduated from Impression High School and was selected in the second 7th round of the 2022 rookie draft (65th overall), has improved his skills by consistently playing in the second-team rotation this year. On August 20th, in the Daegu Samsung game, he started as a starter and allowed 3 runs in 4⅔ innings, earning the attention of the coaching staff.
Although the ball is not fast, his control is relatively good, and he also shows a boldness that is unusual for a young player with aggressive and refreshing pitching. Even though the game was delayed a lot due to rain and his shoulder was cold, he stayed on the mound until the 5th inning and received applause from the fans.
He was promoted to ‘No. 1 replacement starter’ and given an important task at the end of the season. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk looked upon Hwang Dong-ha with satisfaction, saying that he was a player with an aggressive mind from the beginning. At the same time, he introduced, “For players with slugging power, they need to come in with a little more sophisticated command. Offensive pitching is good and the repertoire is good. I asked them to pay a little more attention to that part.” And Dong-ha Hwang showed off his growth by fulfilling the bench order well.
KIA overcame an important juncture by winning both double headers with LG held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 9th. The player who laid the foundation for this doubleheader victory was Hwang Dong-ha, who started the first game. They calmly blocked the momentum of LG, the league leader, LG, the league’s strongest batting lineup, and LG, which had won a landslide victory the previous day. If we had received a little more defensive and batting support, the results would have been even better.
The highest speed of the four-seam fastball was 144 km/h, which was not fast either. The average was 141km. However, I had good ball control and had an appropriate mix of sliders and forkballs. The slider had a good bend. The unique aggressive tempo also stood out. I received the ball, saw the catcher’s sign, and just threw it. Due to Hwang Dong-ha’s fast tempo, LG’s batters were often slow to prepare from the first at-bat. This new player was pushing the LG heavy hitters.
Although he suffered consecutive hits in the 5th inning and was shut out, he still held on well, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs while throwing 70 pitches over 4⅓ innings. In fact, KIA was behind in the starting matchup in the first game, but Hwang Dong-ha pitched better than expected and prepared the conditions for the introduction of a sure-win team, and eventually took the lead with a 7-6 comeback win.
This momentum continued into the second game. Hwang Dong-ha was able to kick off a splendid feat by sweeping the double header. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk also praised Hwang Dong-ha, saying, “It was a pitch that lived up to coach Hwang Dong-ha’s expectations. Even though he gave up a run in the top of the 5th inning, he played his role well.”
I’m not expecting ace-level performance. The entry has now been expanded. There are many bullpen pitchers waiting. Even if you only show the pitches for about 9 days, there are quite a few strategies that can be implemented next time. There is a good chance that Lee Ui-ri will take over that position if she goes to the Asian Games. For Hwang Dong-ha, it is still a big opportunity to relieve the burden and show his abilities. KIA is aiming for the final spurt of the season by discovering one more card that raises hope amidst a crisis.
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