I can't believe that the 'WHIP No. 1' pitcher is the 5th starter…Moon Dong-ju's stormy growth → At least the number one walk is surprising, what kind of change has happened
I can't believe that the 'WHIP No. 1' pitcher is the 5th starter…Moon Dong-ju's stormy growth → At least the number one walk is surprising, what kind of change has happened
Blog Article
Fireballer Moon Dong-ju (22) of the Hanwha Eagles has become a true starting pitcher. His trademark is a fastball of up to 160 kilometers per hour, but his ball control has stabilized as he has remarkably improved. He is the fastest pitcher in the league but has the fewest walks per nine innings.카지노
Moon Dong-joo also broke his two consecutive losses by leading Hanwha to a 2-1 victory in seven ⅔ innings with three hits, two walks, eight strikeouts and one run in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game against KT Wiz at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 26th.
Following the match against Kiwoom in Daejeon (three hits and no outs in six innings), and the match against NC in Daejeon on the 19th (five hits, one walk, seven strikeouts and two runs), Moon Dong-ju, who has won three games (one loss) this season, has also lowered his ERA from 3.68 to 3.03. WHIP, which allows on-base hits per inning, has risen to first place (0.84) among 32 pitchers in the regular innings.
His pitching was overwhelming. Kwon had three hits alone, but the remaining eight hitters did not. He displayed powerful pitching by allowing no runners on second base until the seventh inning. He pitched 84 pitches through the seventh inning, which is a pace that could potentially secure his first shutout victory since his debut. He gave a run through walks, hits, and sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and filled 100 pitches before going down the mound to applause from the crowd of 17,000 won (10,400 U.S. dollars).
After the game, Moon said, "I'm not sorry at all. Even if the number of pitches increases in the eighth inning, our team's bullpen is so good that we focused on catching one batter and one out," but added, "It's a shame to have the leadoff hitter (Yoo Jun-kyu) walk in the eighth inning. If I had caught the leadoff hitter, I would have been able to finish the eighth inning, but that's something that I regret." He also expressed regret over the walk that served as an excuse for his loss.
Moon's two walks on the day were the most in six individual games this season. Of the previous five games, Moon had one walk and three no walks. He pitched 29 ⅔ innings, striking out 32 and giving up only four walks this season. The number of walks he gave per nine innings was the lowest among the 32 pitchers who met the regulation innings. During the three years up until last year, he drew 3.27 walks per nine innings, which significantly decreased this year and became No. 1 in the WHIP.
Fireballers who spray fastballs in the mid-to-late 150-kilometer range tend to have some ball control anxiety, but it is surprising that the number of walks is so low. This is due to the fact that not only fastballs but also the ability to use breaking balls has improved, leading to a much more aggressive game and efficient pitching.
In the game against KT on the same day, Moon used more breaking balls including sliders (24), fork balls (20), curves (8), and two-seam (6) than fast balls (42) with maximum speed of 156 kilometers per hour and average speed of 152 kilometers per hour. His pitching pattern was out of line with fastball pitchers even when throwing breaking balls to catch strikes even at unfavorable count. He counted with sliders and curves, and used fork balls and fast balls as decision balls. Among the eight strikeouts, six were fork balls. His main weapon does not discriminate between left and right hitters. On top of that, he caught off guard with fastballs, stealing two strikeouts.
On the recent increase in the ratio of breaking balls, Moon said, "With more pitches, the repertoire has diversified, and the ratio of swinging on fastballs seems to have increased as well. There are no more fastballs moving forward." As the number of breaking balls has become more diverse, I can use my fastball more confidently, he said. "As I can target the strike zone with all types of pitches, the ratio of breaking balls has naturally increased."
Until his first or second year in the pro league, Moon was a pitcher who threw fast balls and curves. He threw strong balls but had a monotonous image, and when his ball control was bad, batters targeted and aimed only at fast balls. However, he unsealed his fork balls he used in high school from the second half of last year, and the value of his sliders' pitching has increased this year. Some of them bend as fast as a cutter, while others are slow but angled. They seem to be two types of sliders, but Moon said, "That's not it. Just slow and fast throwing (speed control). If batters feel it as two types of pitches, I think it's good for me."
On the reason why the completeness of the breaking ball has increased like this, Moon Dong-joo said, "There is no secret, we prepared well. Catcher Choi Jae-hoon has a really big lead, and Yoon Deok, who analyzes the power, points well in every game. I'm more confident than anxious because I think I just have to throw it on top of that," he said, thanking Yoon Yoon-deok, a power analyst who helped him from behind.
As the number of breaking balls that can be used properly increases, the repertoire has diversified, and the power of fastballs has increased. As the team aggressively starts the game amid robust analysis of its power, the number of walks he allows to significantly decrease and manage the number of pitches he throws. The number of pitches per inning (14.4 per inning) is also the third lowest among pitchers in the regulation. Naturally, the team's ability to digest innings will inevitably improve. Due to shoulder rehabilitation throughout the winter, the team had limited number of pitches as it went through the build-up process at the beginning of the season, but has now completely eased.
"I'm glad that I pitched long innings today and played a good role as a starting pitcher," Moon said. "I'll continue to show this kind of performance in the future. In our team, I'm the fifth starter. If I'm good at it, I think our starting lineup will be the best in Korea. I want to play a role in connecting the starting lineup well so that no one else can be included in it." A pitcher like Moon Dong-joo is the fifth starter, so Hanwha's performance is inevitable.