'155km + first win' deep sigh, Hanwha Moon Dong-joo said, "I have to raise my speed more, and I'm not confident about many things to see."

*This content was translated by AI.

Even with the first victory, there was no laughter. Moon Dong-ju (23, Hanwha Eagles), who puts strict standards on himself, expressed a strong will to develop further.

Moon Dong-ju started the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game against SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 8th and threw 92 pitches in five innings, recording five hits (one homer) with two walks and four strikeouts.

In the game against KT Wiz on the 2nd, which was his first appearance of the season, he threw 70 pitches in four innings, allowing seven hits (one homer), two walks, three strikeouts, and five runs, and lost, but this day was different.

Coach Kim Kyung-moon said before the game, "Of course, I want him to throw up to the fifth inning. He threw only four innings even though he was disappointed, but he will try to throw five innings today, he said. "I think the starting pitcher should make a decision. Today, I'm going to try to throw until the fifth inning," he said.

The maximum speed of the fastball hit 155km/h, but only 26 of the 46 pitches passed the strike zone, just over half. He threw 92 pitches, giving variations to folk balls (21 pitches), sliders (19 pitches), and curves (6 pitches).

He started with a triple by Park Sung-han from his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, but he caught the follow-up batters well and started the game without a run, and in the second inning, he was doubled by Jihoon Choi with one out, but did not record a run.

In the third inning, the batters gave Kang Baek-ho four runs, including a three-run home run, in the attack, and then took the mound and hit a solo home run after hitting a fork ball driven in the center by Herredia. However, he finished well until the fifth inning.

In particular, in the fifth inning, he allowed a hit to Jung Joon-jae and a walk to Park Sung-han after one out, and even an RBI double to Choi Jung, but struck out Kim Jae-hwan with a high-course fork ball.

With a 4-2 lead, he handed the ball over to bullpen pitchers and kept the lead to achieve his first win of the season. However, it was a performance that he could not be satisfied with himself. Even after winning the victory, his expression was not bright.

Moon Dong-ju, who met after the game, said, "I was lucky. I passed so quickly that I didn't know how it passed, but it was really important to show my concentration for a moment, he said. "It was so cold." I was not in normal condition," he said.

There were also complaints of restraint. The maximum speed was 155km/h, enough to overwhelm the opposing batters, but the lowest was only 142km. Even though they are trying to adjust the level of the speed, the restraint has not risen to the desired level. "It's true that the speed wasn't as fast as I thought," he confessed.

The season started later than others. Initially, he began to build up in Saipan to prepare for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in January, but he suffered shoulder pain and eventually failed to participate in the dream WBC. I had to improve my physical condition again as much as I had to cut it off once. In the exhibition game, he pitched only five innings in two games, and in the first game since the opening, he pitched four innings, giving up five runs and taking the loss.

Moon Dong-joo said, "Honestly, I was so disappointed in myself in the last game, so I really reflected a lot. So I thought I should concentrate," he said. "My control wasn't bad. I studied something, but I prepared it with a little more care and there were a lot of real throws, but today, I was really lucky because the hit ball went head-to-head and there was a lot of defense," he said.

He continued, "I'm not in good condition. First of all, the fact that I have a lot of balls is proof that I'm not confident," he added.

I think restraint is more important than anything else because it is a power feature type. Moon Dong-ju said, "First of all, we need to speed up more. At the same time, I think the end of the ball should survive a little more, he said. "Then, I think I can pitch what I want aggressively even with a small pitch. "Today, there were balls where the hit balls were concentrated, and there were balls that were removed accurately, but I think that's completely my problem," he said.

However, as I prepared for the season late, I will not think too hastily. "Isn't it too late to prepare for the season. In a way, it's something that you can go through earlier than others, but I think it's a part that naturally follows," he said. "It was bad at first, so it would be best at the end. That's what I think and I'm holding out," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.