*This content was translated by AI.
The shoulder of the Korean baseball team's ace, who sprays up to 160km of fiery fastballs, is in trouble. Moon Dong-joo (23, Hanwha Eagles), who was calmly preparing for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) with the season, stopped time.
According to a Star News report, an official from Hanwha Eagles said, "Moon Dong-ju stopped pitching due to shoulder pain during practice pitching for bullpen pitching on the 4th."
It is all the more painful news of the injury because he was lifting his body faster than usual ahead of the World Babe Bowl Classic (WBC) in March.
The worst was avoided. There was no big problem, but the club said, "We will watch the situation further for hospital treatment," adding, "We will conduct training while checking our conditions in the future."
Moon Dong-ju, who wore a Hanwha uniform as the first pick in the 2022 rookie draft, suffered ups and downs in his first year, but continued his rookie status by playing 28 ⅔ innings, and won the Rookie of the Year award the following year with 8 wins and 8 losses and an ERA of 3.72 in 23 games based on his scary fastball.
It seemed to be guaranteed a better future by winning gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games and receiving special military service, but it was disappointing in 2024. Injuries overlapped and only played in 21 games, with 7-7 losses and ERA soaring to 5.17.
Moon Dong-ju, who was desperate, succeeded in rebounding again in 2025. He also had to rest twice on the injured list and played only 121 innings in 24 games, but won his first double-digit victory (11 wins) since his debut and became a top pitcher in the league with ERA 4.02 and strikeouts of 135.
Ahead of the upcoming WBC in March, he went to Saipan's first camp as a key pitcher. He was attached to Won Tae-in (Samsung), and he showed extraordinary improvement by asking questions about his pitches from time to time as well as the catch process.
It is an indispensable resource for the national team. In WBC, where the world's best players gather, the importance of fastball pitchers is growing, and Moon Dong-ju is currently the fastest throwing pitcher in Korea and has to serve as an ace. Therefore, attention is focused on whether he recovers or not.
It was a satisfactory bullpen pitching. In a video released on Hanwha Eagles' official YouTube channel "Eagles TV" on the 3rd, Moon Dong-joo, who finished pitching in the bullpen, said, "The face is much faster than last year. Last year, the pace was so late that he could only pitch once in Australia, but it is a positive sign that he is already entering pitching on the second turn, he said, expressing satisfaction about Saipan's training, saying, "It helped me a lot."
"It's true that I'm in a much better shape than last year," he said. "I spent a lot of time strengthening my shoulders and re-building my body in the offseason. I was definitely motivated when I worked out. I'm more confident than last year," he stressed.
Aside from WBC, health care is a big task for Moon Dong-ju this season. Since his debut, he has not completed 130 innings, let alone the regular innings (144 innings). Last season, 121 innings were the most.
Moon Dong-ju, who recorded an official speed of 160km last year and experienced a double-digit victory and even the appearance in the Korean Series, said of his goal this season, "I'm throwing more innings," adding, "I was disappointed at the end of last year, but if I played more innings, I would have taken more wins and lowered ERA." "I know that if I threw more and focused, I could have done a much better job," he said.
"The goal is the regular innings. I haven't done it yet, but I don't think I can. "Personally, if there are many good games, I think I can fill it unconditionally," he said with confidence.
Therefore, this injury should not spread much more. It is also a big concern for the national team. The WBC national team has already submitted its final entry on the 4th. Of course, if an injured player occurs, it can be replaced, but the presence or absence of Moon Dong-ju can be directly related to the weight of the national team's mound.
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*This content was translated by AI.
