KT's mound in the Korea national team's 'most-produced dignity' is already unusual. "It's similar to the regular season, and I throw it as I want."

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz's mound is already unusual. The three members of the national team raise their pace quickly similar to the regular season, raising expectations for the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

The KT club reported the results of the live pitching of three members of the national team, Ko Young-pyo (35), So Hyung-joon (25), and Park Young-hyun (23) on the 12th (Korea Standard Time). The three will participate in off-season training for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Okinawa, Japan from the 15th. With 15 pitchers selected for the national team, KT produced three, the most for a single club. It was KT's dignity worthy of its nickname "Pitcher Kingdom."

As such, the condition of KT pitchers was important, but the situation is smooth. First, the eldest brother Ko Young-pyo threw a total of 40 balls, including a four-seam fastball with a maximum speed of 135km/h, a cutter, a curve, and a change-up. Je Chun-mo, KT's first-team pitching coach, said, "It was better than the first live performance. I checked all the pitches like I was playing a real game. Both the pitching content and mechanism came out in the direction he wanted. All figures, including changeups, have risen to a level equivalent to that of the regular season," he praised.

It is said that he definitely felt his physical condition rising. Ko Young-pyo also said, "I tried to improve the disappointing part in my first live pitching. There was a satisfactory change thanks to the coaches and coaches. The control and power transmission are going well. I'm ready for my body," he said with a smile.

"I was able to build my body well with a lot of support from KBO in Saipan. He also wanted to improve his condition quickly in Australia. I will prepare hard for the rest of the training so that I can throw well with a sense of responsibility and mission in international competitions," he added.

Cho Hyung-joon, who won the national flag again in two years, is also fully prepared. Cho Hyung-joon threw a total of 40 pitches, including four-seam fastballs, two-seam fastballs, cutters, curves, and changeups, and his maximum fastball speed reached 143 km per hour. Coach Je Chun-mo, who watched this, said, "The first live was very good, and it was a pitch that continued to be good. Considering that it is a process of increasing the number of pitches, we ordered him to focus more on the balance and throw it," he said.

He has a different determination. Cho Hyung-joon said, "Both condition and speed are getting better. I will prepare well to show you a good performance in the game. This time, I want to show fans a satisfactory performance as a national team," he said.

Analysts say that the finishing of the national team shows the image that reminded Oh Seung-hwan when he was a rookie. Park Young-hyun threw a total of 30 pitches, including four-seam fastballs, cutters, changeups, and forks. The maximum speed of the fastball was 143 kilometers per hour. Coach Je Chun-mo said, "I threw a really good ball during the Tucson spring camp in the 2022 season, and that came out today (12th). Trackman data showed that fastball efficiency was 100%. In particular, the vertical movement was good."

Park Young-hyun also said, "I threw with strength to check the fastball and breaking ball. It feels much better than the last live. I will prepare to continue this good sense in WBC," he said, expressing his strong ambition.

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*This content was translated by AI.