'Wa' and An Woo-jin, clocked 157km! Only 11 fastballs → a whopping 17 breaking balls, 2 innings, 1 run allowed against KT, the team's batting average leader

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes' An Woo-jin (27) showcased his enduring fastball and more mature battle of wits simultaneously in his second competitive appearance since returning from injury. Although he allowed a run-scoring hit and gave up a run, the ace's ability to handle crisis situations remained intact. In particular, he displayed solid performance against KT Wiz, who held the team's highest batting average this season (0.292 as of the game on the 18th).

On the 18th, An Woo-jin started in the away game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the '2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League', recording 2 innings and 1 run allowed, continuing his successful comeback buildup.

The start was somewhat hectic. An Woo-jin retired leadoff hitter Choi Won-jun with an outfield fly, but when Kim Sang-soo came to bat, a throwing error by third baseman Kim Ji-seok allowed a runner to reach base. He then allowed a single to Kim Hyun-soo, putting himself in a 1-out, 1st-and-2nd base run-scoring crisis. However, the ace's crisis management skills remained sharp. An Woo-jin induced a ground ball to the shortstop against Jang Seong-woo, completing the inning with a double play and extinguishing the immediate danger himself.

In the 2nd inning, he allowed his first run. After a full-count battle with leadoff hitter Hilliard, he issued a walk. With a runner on 2nd base and one out following a ground ball by Bae Jeong-dae, he surrendered a two-run double to Jang Jun-won that split the gap between left and center field, giving up one run. But An Woo-jin remained steady. He retired Han Seung-taek with an outfield fly and handled Lee Kang-min with a ground ball to the pitcher's mound, completing his assignment without allowing any additional runs.

The most notable aspect of An Woo-jin's pitching performance that day was his velocity and pitch mix. An Woo-jin's top velocity reached an impressive 157 km/h. Even in his second game back, he demonstrated overwhelming command.

An interesting point was his pitching pattern. Of the 28th pitches thrown, only 11 were fastballs, while he mixed in a whopping 17 breaking balls. He threw 7 sliders, 6 curveballs, and 4 changeups. Rather than overpowering hitters with velocity, he focused on disrupting KT batters' timing by using breaking balls for over 60% of his pitches. This is interpreted as a test of both his command and his ability to control pace and rhythm while fine-tuning his competitive sharpness.

Having proven his readiness through two comeback appearances, An Woo-jin is now accelerating toward a full integration into Kiwoom's starting rotation.

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*This content was translated by AI.