“I’m not going to be arrogant because I got a good grade. I won’t be lazy.”
“I’m not going to be arrogant because I got a good grade. I won’t be lazy.”
That’s the promise Hanwha Eagles right-hander Joo Hyun-sang, 32, keeps repeating to himself as he prepares for the season. He is one of the most reliable pitchers in the Hanwha bullpen. His best performance came last year, his third year as a first-team pitcher. In 55 appearances, he went 2-2 with a 12-hole record and a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 55 batters in 59⅔ innings pitched. WHIP (walks per inning pitched) of 0.84 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.17. The games started, innings pitched, and holds were all career highs.
A total of 30 Hanwha pitchers took the mound for the first team last year. Among them, Joo was the only one with a sub-1 ERA. Pimalli was especially good in the second half of the season, when he was in a “breakout” race. Starting in September, he allowed three runs in 23 innings in 21 games. He had a 1.17 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP during that time. 안전놀이터 From September 27 against the Samsung Lions to September 16 against the Lotte Giants, he had a nine-game, 11-inning scoreless streak.
Hanwha has had pitchers like this before.
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 rookie draft out of Dong-A University in Cheongju. He came in as an infielder and then switched to pitching, and his era of success began. In his first season as a pitcher, he appeared in 43 games in 2021 and 49 games in 2022. After a dip in 2022, he jumped last year.
Joo played 120 games as a fielder in his first professional season and 147 games as a pitcher. He hit 47 home runs in 103 games in his first year as a pro in 2015.
His best year, 2023, was a disappointment. He faltered badly right after the start of the regular season.
Game 2 of the opening series against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Dome on April 2. Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, he gave up a bases-loaded walk and shook his head. Lost the game on two hits and two walks with no outs. The loss was compounded by an extra-inning, 10-inning loss in the opener the day before.
After pitching three games, he was sent to the second team.
He spent 38 days in the second team and returned in mid-May, only to have his first team roster expunged within 10 days. It was difficult for both the player and the team.
When we recently met at the Daejeon Baseball Stadium, Joo Hyun-sung said, “Last year, I had a sluggish period. I’m working hard on physical training and technical training to reduce this,” he said. “We need to shorten the downtime as much as possible so that we can continue to play well. We are working on various preparations.”
The team is aiming for a top-five finish in 2024. 파워볼실시간 Joo’s role as the core of the bullpen is crucial. He said he wants to fulfill his role consistently without being greedy.
“The team has high expectations, and I’m preparing to do better. But I’m not going to think about doing better than last year, which was good. I’m just going to pitch responsibly for the team,” he said.
His daily routine during the offseason is similar. After training at Daejeon Baseball Stadium every day, he goes straight home. He takes care of his five-month-old child. The reason he needs to get better at baseball.
“We have free agents (for the second year in a row), and we’ve added strength, so I think we’ll do well. Hopefully, this year we can get off to a good start.”
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