"HYUN MIN is good at this"" KT brothers also shrugged at their younger brother's performance, and the head coach laughed at the 'Suwon One Two Punch.'

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz's So Hyung-joon (25) smiled happily at his team's younger brother Ahn Hyun-min (23)'s performance that made him shrug.

After a practice game between the Korean national baseball team and the Samsung Lions at Akama Stadium in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 20th, So Hyung-jun said, "(Ahn) Hyun-min is doing well." I will also try to be helpful to the national team," he said with a smile.

The national team, which had its first practice match against the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), lost to Samsung 3-4. KT players showed outstanding performance even though they did not put significance on winning or losing. Cho Hyung-joon, who started the national team, recorded three hits and two strikeouts without striking out during two innings (22 pitches). He checked his ball by throwing a fastball of up to 145 kilometers per hour, a two-seam fastball, a cutter, a curve, and a change-up evenly.

Cho Hyung-joon, who met with reporters after the game, said, "I was very nervous because I was going to the first game. To be honest, I wasn't satisfied with the balance on my own until the game, but as I played, I felt my senses come to life little by little," he said.

Since December last year, he has been able to focus a little more and throw more in the actual game thanks to his catch with the WBC official ball. Cho Hyung-joon said, "Every time I pitch live and go out of practice, my speed goes up 1 to 2 kilometers per hour, and now I am. However, I am worried that just because 1 to 2 kilometers went up today does not mean that 1 to 2 kilometers will go up again in the next game. "I'm trying to get ready to throw a better ball at the tournament by quickly raising my body condition," he explained.

Cho Hyung-joon uses two-seam fastballs with unique movements as his main weapon. KT catcher Jang Sung-woo also compared Cho Hyung-joon's two-seam fastball movement to a foreign pitcher's forkball. On top of that, off-speed pitches such as changeups and cutters are appropriately utilized to draw out missed pitches. This is why he is proudly used as a starter even though his maximum fastball speed is only around 150 kilometers per hour.

In addition, the fact that starting pitchers have 65 limited pitches in this tournament, making it possible to throw all-out pitches is considered a plus factor. Cho Hyung-joon said, "There is no change-up trajectory that I am satisfied with. I'm thinking and practicing a lot, and I'm trying to create a better change-up trajectory at the competition. "Speed is not everything. I think restraint is about my body condition. Rather, it is more important to throw a powerful ball where I want it," he said with strength.

"I think I'm preparing to be a starting pitcher, but I have to be in good condition to go out," he said. "I always threw 100 pitches when I went out, but this time it's 65 pitches, so I'm trying to throw a powerful ball more efficiently. I need to distribute well, but I want to face batters with a more powerful ball," he added.

Not only Cho Hyung-joon, but all four KT players who came to the national team together showed outstanding performance. The eldest brother Ko Young-pyo (35) achieved a perfect one-inning strikeout. Park Young-hyun (23), who took the mound as a closing pitcher, ended the game by blocking one inning without losing a point even though his speed was not yet high.

The highlight was Ahn Hyun-min, the youngest, who played the third base game with one hit (one home run), one walk, and one RBI in two at-bats, including a preemptive solo shot over the right-center fence. Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said of Ahn Hyun-min's performance on the day, "There must have been an unfamiliarity in the at-bat because it was the first game today. The fast-line pitch species seemed to have adapted quickly, but overall, there was a lack of balance or sensation in responding to the breaking ball. Still, I think this part will naturally get better if you play the game over and over again," he praised and added improvements.

In fact, it was Ko Young-pyo and Cho Hyung-joon of "Suwon One Two Punch" that 100% fell in love with head coach Ryu Ji-hyun. Manager Ryu Ji-hyun praised Cho Hyung-joon and Ko Young-pyo, saying, "I could feel that they were in the best condition on the pitcher's side."

Thanks to the strong performance of his teammates, So Hyung-joon said, "It's a little more comfortable if my teammates come together. Other than that, I don't have anything in particular. I think everyone will do well on their own, and I'm focusing a lot on my role," he said with a smile.

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*This content was translated by AI.