"The 1st overall → Star Award" Kiwoom Chung Hyun-woo's Kiwoom Jim "Last year's regret was the foundation for growth."

*This content was translated by AI.

Chung Hyun-woo (20, Kium Heroes), who was the "No. 1 overall rookie," will be on the second test stage.

Chung Hyun-woo will take the mound as a starting pitcher in an exhibition game against KT Wiz in the 2026 KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon at 1 p.m. on the 20th. It is his second appearance this year. Earlier on the 14th, against NC, he had five hits (one home run) and three outs in three innings.

His professional start was spectacular. A native of Deoksu High School, he was selected by Kiwoom as the first overall pick in the 2025 rookie draft and received a down payment of 500 million won. He also won the 'Star Award' in baseball at the 'Futures Star Awards' hosted by Star News in November 2024.

Chung Hyun-woo, who has held a starting position since the opening of last year, won his 12th high school rookie debut game in KBO history against KIA on March 26, his first appearance. On April 12, the third game, he also won his second game against Hanwha by allowing two runs in five innings.

But soon the ordeal came. He returned after a two-month break from mid-April due to shoulder pain, but has lost six consecutive games without a win in 11 games since June. On August 29, he ended his debut season with a 3-7 record in 18 games and a 5.86 ERA in 81 ⅓ innings, breaking his losing streak with two runs in six innings against LG.

Ahead of the exhibition game against KT on the 19th, Kiwoom coach Seol Jong-jin (53) said of Chung Hyeon-woo, "We are competing for the fifth starting pitcher with Kim Yoon-ha (21). "Last year, the pitching mechanism was good, but there was some disappointment in terms of mentality." "At the beginning of the game, I threw well, but at about four to five times, my ball control would quickly become unstable and my ball speed would decrease," he pointed out.

He said, "That's why I did a lot of mental coaching. In the spring camp, the maximum speed came out to 147 kilometers per hour, and in order to raise it further, we talked about using more fastball even if we got a hit in the next game," he said.

Chung Hyun-woo is also shaking off last year's disappointment and pledges to make another leap forward this year, his second year. "I think I lacked a lot on my own last year," he said through the club. "I'm sorry that I didn't help the team win much," he said, "But I've gained experience by playing in many games and I'll use it as the foundation for growth."

This year's goal was, "I vowed to be more active when competing with batters," he said. "I want to be a player who helps the team win while playing many innings as a starting pitcher."

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*This content was translated by AI.