It was mid-October. 160 kilometers were recorded on the electronic display at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju. This is not the record set by a Kia Tigers pitcher who was preparing for the Korean Series. The record came from pitcher Sangmu, Kia's sparring partner. Of course, the electronic display board offers a bit more speed than actual speed. As a result, the 160-km display must have been in the late 150-km range.메이저사이트
The hero of the pleasant arrest is Lee Kang-joon (23), a right-hander sidearm who joined the Kiwoom Heroes after being discharged from Sangmu. Lee Kang-joon was decided to go to Kiwoom as a compensation player for Han Hyun-hee (31), a right-hander sidearm who signed an FA contract with the Lotte Giants ahead of joining Sangmu.
After serving in the military faithfully for two years, Lee was discharged from the military on Nov. 7. He showed good performance in the Futures League this season. In 44 games, he pitched 3 wins, 1 loss, 11 saves, 8 holds, and an earned run average of 0.76.47.1 innings, recording only four earned runs. Even though there is a gap between the 2nd and 1st teams, this is an encouraging record for Kiwoom. He was unstable in command in the first team, but he managed to overcome it in Sangmu.
"In terms of track man, I once reached 158 kilometers. It was my first time to reach 160 kilometers in terms of numbers," Lee said. "I've been a pitcher since my second year of high school. I've thrown to the side since then. I've thrown to the side since I was at KT."
Lee Kang-joon's fastball in the late 150km range is not four-seam, but two-seam. It has the characteristic of being highly changed to sinker. "There is no difference in speed between two-seam and four-seam, but there is more movement in two-seam," he said. "When I talked to coaches and hitters, they said they had good two-seam, so I threw two-seam since I was at KT."
It was a side arm, but the change of raising the arm close to the third quarter was also effective. Lee Kang-joon said, "I changed it to something comfortable for me. It's not like a batter can't hit just because his arm is a little low. Even if your arm goes up a little more, you have to throw a stronger ball and throw it into the strike zone so that the batter can't hit it. Originally, I had a reluctance to raise my arm, but I abandoned the stereotype."
After graduating from Seorak High School, he joined KT Wiz in the 22nd place in the 2nd and 3rd round in 2020. Kiwoom returned after being traded to Lotte in May 2023. "I was supposed to join the military in May 2023, but I joined the camp as the first team. I turned on my cell phone as soon as I arrived in Guam, and I was taken aback by the huge number of messages. Personally, it is a good opportunity to come to Kiwoom."
Kiwoom recently sent Cho Sang-woo to the KIA Tigers. However, there are some people who believe in him. Lee Kang-joon is one of them. Ko Hyung-wook, the general manager, calculates that if Lee and Kim Sung-min and Joo Seung-woo, who experienced success this year, are reorganized to minimize Cho's absence.
He has yet to show anything in the first team. He needs to prove it next year. He will naturally start calculating his profit and loss with Han Hyun-hee, the free agent. "He should show what he prepared and tried hard for in the next year at any position. While searching for something he forgot, he posted an ERA of 0.76 at Sangmu. The coach, coach and trainer gave me a lot of consideration," Lee said.
I steadily build up at the Goyang camp. Lee said, "I do mobility training, stretching, core exercises, and weight training in the morning. I also started playing catch. It's gotten colder, but I have to do it according to the situation. I also do reinforcement exercises in the afternoon."
He also has confidence. "He has changed a lot since before he joined the military. He has matured and gained confidence. It would be nice if he joined the must-win team, but I won't think about it. If I do my best in every game I play, I will prove what I prepared," Lee said. This is a new pace for Kiwoom fans who are upset by Cho Sang-woo's trade.