"You can join the national team"" Even if you throw it at 60%, you'll be elated! Moon Dong-ju, why you couldn't go to the WBC two weeks later even when the 'first bullpen pitching' started

*This content was translated by AI.

Moon Dong-joo (23, Hanwha Eagles), who recently fell from the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korean baseball team due to shoulder pain, played his first bullpen pitching.

Moon warmed up ahead of a practice match between the national team and Hanwha held at Kochinda Stadium in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 21st. A total of 20 balls were thrown, and the crowd was elated. Catcher Choi Jae-hoon encouraged, "I can go back to the national team," thanks to Moon Dong-ju's ball that sticks in even if thrown lightly.

This is why his national team's fall is even more regrettable. Moon Dong-ju was finally excluded from the 2026 WBC national team list announced on the 6th. He even participated in the national team camp held in Saipan, a U.S. territory, in January, but ended his dream of becoming a national flag due to shoulder pain that came at the end of January. He was one of the few starting pitchers who was considered to be competitive in the WBC, which is full of Major League sluggers. The fast ball with a maximum speed of 160km/h that overwhelmed the opponent was an advantage that differentiated it from other pitchers.

As such, national team coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55) and KBO's power reinforcement committee also handled Moon Dong-ju's injury carefully. According to manager Ryu Ji-hyun at the press conference for the announcement of the final list, Hanwha first announced the news on January 30. At that time, Moon Dong-ju had his first bullpen pitching due to shoulder pain. The pain disappeared and 22 pitches were thrown, but as I prepared for my second bullpen pitching, more pain came. This was February 4th.

The WBC final roster submission date was February 5, and the second national team camp convocation date was February 15. The first match between Czech Republic and WBC was March 5, with about a month to go. However, coach Ryu Ji-hyun and the KBO Power Reinforcement Committee did not believe that this month was enough to participate in the tournament in the best condition. Manager Ryu Ji-hyun responded, "From the national team's point of view, I thought Moon Dong-ju would probably have to start all over again after a week of rest. If so, I thought it would be difficult to expect a normal appearance (at the competition)," he said.

Usually, starting pitchers who have a long hiatus due to issues outside their throwing arms, such as elbows and shoulders, go through about a month's Interval Throwing Program (ITP). Of course, it depends on the player's injury and its extent, but it usually takes about two weeks or more to throw more than 60 pitches from the first bullpen pitching. The next step is to take the mound in a real game. This game is also to confirm the possibility of throwing more than 100 pitches, not to say that you can perform 100% of the time.

Foreign pitcher James Nail, who led the KIA Tigers to win in 2024, is also a good example. It took about three weeks from the first bullpen pitching (Sept. 19) to the first practice game (Oct. 9), for Nail, who had left due to an unexpected jaw joint injury. After that, he was able to play in the first game of the Korean Series on October 23 after experiencing one more practice game. It took more than a month to produce the best performance.

Moreover, Moon Dong-ju has been a player who has experienced rehabilitation due to shoulder pain since his debut season. Hanwha has no choice but to be cautious. Internally, the club also sees late March and early April as realistic time to return to the KBO regular season opener (March 28). This is why Moon Dong-joo cannot join the national team even though WBC is about two weeks away.

Even on the day of his first bullpen pitching, Moon Dong-ju was still in pain. Moon Dong-ju said, "It was just my first pitching. Today (21st) I threw it with about 60% of my power. I'm not satisfied with myself. But it wasn't bad in that the pain wasn't great," he said. "I want to be greedy for the team and the timing. I have to be greedy, but I will do my best for the rest of the year in preparation for the opening amid not excessive greed," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.