"HYEONGJUN kept saying..." KT's 5th starter changed his eating habits, changed his diet, and hit 148km in the 6th inning! Roommate doesn't hate interference

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz starting pitcher Oh Won-seok (25) threw an unusual ball from the first game of the 2026 season.

Oh Won-seok won his first victory of the season against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 2nd with four hits, seven strikeouts and one run in six innings.

It was impeccable pitching. From the first inning, he overwhelmed Hanwha's sluggers with his ball speed with a maximum speed of 149km/h, and even his control ball that poked accurately into the corner of his body showed a good pitch that would not be strange.

The dugout was also surprised. KT manager Lee Kang-chul (60) said ahead of the match against Samsung in Suwon on the 3rd, "I saw the first ball that was good when playing with us during the SK (current SSG) period. I saw him throw 150km per hour for the first time since the first inning. Even during the SK period, he threw 147 kilometers (per hour) and 150 kilometers only to us. Then, I used to collapse in the fifth inning (in the game on the 3rd), but suddenly (in the 5th inning) he threw 147km and 149km in a row, so coach Je Chun-mo said he was crazy."

In fact, Oh was not in normal condition since the spring camp. He felt uncomfortable himself and was not satisfied with taking the mound in one exhibition game and allowing five hits, two walks, four strikeouts and two runs in three ⅓ innings. Everyone is bound to be surprised because the player returned with a solid 148km/h fastball in the sixth inning.

Oh Won-seok, who met with reporters after taking the mound in his first game, said, "It was not good in many ways during Okinawa. Still, I continued to take care of my body, paid attention to my balance, and prepared the same thing," he said. "I think I can give more than 70 to 80 points on my first appearance on my own. Originally, I used to lose strength when the number of pitches increased, but that day was not the case, so I was also surprised. "The control was good," he said.

Oh Won-seok boasts a fantastic combination with Jang Sung-woo (36), the main catcher. Last year, when he worked with Jang Sung-woo, he had the best ERA with 3.59 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.693. Coach Lee Kang-chul even admitted, "Oh Won-seok should also play with Jang Sung-woo."

Oh Won-seok also said, "The plan was not very different. I always followed (Jang) Sung-woo's lead, and I only trusted Sung-woo and threw it," he said with strength.

Roommate Soh Hyung-joon (25)'s petty intervention also helped. Soh Hyung-joon and Oh Won-seok, born in 2001, are friends of the same age, and they always stay together and continue to talk to each other. Some joke that Soh Hyung-joon seems to be managing Oh Won-seok in the appearance shown on the club's YouTube.

Oh Won-seok said, "I do a lot of technical things with (the late) Young-pyo, but I talk a lot about baseball because I'm a roommate with (Small) Hyung-jun and we're friends." When I try to eat something sweet, Hyeongjun tells me not to eat it next to him. "If you ask, 'Is this okay?' they say it's not good either."

He doesn't seem to hate his friend's affectionate intervention. Oh Won-seok said, "Hyeong-jun tends to go to bed early again. I sleep when I lie down. But I couldn't leave the light on next to him, so I just followed him. I'm listening to Hyungjun's story because it's helpful and good for me. He added, "Hyeong-jun is a good baseball player and if we keep sticking together, we seem to be moving in a better direction."

My eating habits have definitely changed since I came to KT. Oh Won-seok said, "For sure, I felt it was really important to eat baseball. I keep discussing with my training coach and (So) Hyung-jun, and I'm trying to eat good things and keep filling up my protein mass. In particular, since last year, I have tried to fill up the appropriate amount of protein per day in proportion to my weight. Two days before the selection, I eat a lot of carbohydrates, so I reserve my strength," he said.

Like KT, which is called the pitcher kingdom, there are so many players to give advice to him who still wants to grow. Oh Won-seok said, "(The late) Young-pyo taught me how to balance and use his lower body when pitching. (Woo) Kyu-min teaches me a lot of good things about routines," he said.

Oh Won-seok joined KT through a one-on-one trade with Kim Min after the end of the 2024 season. In the previous team, he was evaluated as a full-time prospect after only five innings. However, he won his first 10 wins in the first half of his career after joining KT, and achieved a career high through a period of adjustment.

Oh Won-seok said, "I think I'm going to baseball after coming to KT, but I'm still cautious. I've only played one game this year and I know my shortcomings too well, so I try to focus on them in a way that saves my strengths but continues to compensate for my shortcomings," he stressed.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.