"I wanted to watch one more inning" Lee Kang-chul and Yoon Hee-sang were also excited about the 150km 1R rookie charm... 2 scoreless innings against Melbourne

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz rookie pitcher Park Ji-hoon (19) appealed to seniors with powerful pitches.

KT won 8-7 in a practice game against Melbourne Aces at Geelong Baseball Center in Geelong, Australia on the 16th (Korea Standard Time).

With more than 60,000 baseball fans watching about 500 at Geelong Baseball Stadium and 61,000 online, the player who stole the most attention on the mound was rookie Park Ji-hoon. Park Ji-hoon took the mound in the top of the sixth inning with KT leading 7-5 and allowed one hit, one walk, and one strikeout in two innings. Fastball speed averaged 149 kilometers per hour and up to 150 kilometers per hour.

The game was also excellent. Park Ji-hoon, who took the mound in the top of the sixth inning, struck out swinging by the first batter. Melbourne hitters swung and missed consecutively on sliders persistently aiming for the outside and the low side. Since then, the two hitters have also been caught by outfielders, realizing Park Ji-hoon's fastball.

Commentator Yoon Hee-sang, who watched the broadcast, said, "The slider that fell on the lower side was sharp. What looks even better is that the arm speed of the fastball and slider are very similar. "I feel almost the same, so the power of the slider is high," he said.

He said, "The pitching foam is very soft and simple, so it conveys power properly. It is the type of pitcher that manager Lee Kang-chul prefers very much, he said, adding, "The possibility of development is inevitably high because the release point is formed in the front and the pitching mechanism is stable."

When Park Ji-hoon also came up in the seventh inning, commentator Yoon Hee-sang expressed his excitement, saying, "I wanted to see another inning." I did not live up to that expectation. Park Ji-hoon also boldly put a fastball into his body as a right-handed batter. He allowed on base on an exquisite infield hit, but he later grounded out hitters and finished the game without losing a point.

Park Ji-hoon is a right-hander who joined KT as the sixth overall in the first round of the 2026 KBO rookie draft after graduating from Cheonan Namsan Elementary School, Gaenggun Middle School, and Jeonju High School. The fastball, which has a fast speed of up to 154 kilometers per hour and a high RPM (rotation per minute) of 2,500 times, was considered attractive.

Another major slider was also recognized by KT manager Lee Kang-chul (60), who is a KBO legend and good at training pitchers. Park Ji-hoon throws two sliders, one that falls vertically and one that bends sideways, and made his debut at the Taiwan Spring Camp held in November last year.

Coach Lee Kang-chul, who praised Park Ji-hoon's slider at the time as "the real top," said through the club, "The new rookies are better than I thought. "In pitchers, some new people should come out, but I think Park Ji-hoon will be a card in terms of throwing a powerful ball," he said.

After the game, Park Ji-hoon said, "I threw lightly in the first inning while controlling the team's performance. But from the second inning, the strength began to go in. I consciously focused on relaxing my mind. Thanks to this, I was able to keep it scoreless. I will prepare hard to lead the inning more stably," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.