'Ohtani → Sauer → Buehler': The Backstory of the Sweeper Pitch That Surprised Lee Kang-chul "He Has a Great Attitude to Learn, Even Takes Notes"

*This content was translated by AI.

Behind the early-season dominance of KT Wiz foreign pitcher Caleb Buehler (33) lies an intriguing behind-the-scenes story of a 'sweeper pitch' passed down from Major League superstar Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers).

On the 19th, ahead of the game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Suwon KT Wiz Park, KT manager Lee Kang-chul met with reporters and revealed the backstory behind the 'sweeper,' one of the breaking pitches Buehler throws. The story emerged while praising Buehler's ability to master breaking balls with ease.

According to manager Lee Kang-chul, Buehler's sweeper is a 'pedigreed' pitch passed down through another KT foreign pitcher, Matt Sauer (27), who shared the same dugout as Ohtani during the 2025 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here is the story. During the 2025 season while playing for the Dodgers, Sauer learned how to throw the sweeper directly from Ohtani, but he himself struggled to execute it perfectly in actual games. After Sauer joined KT for the 2026 season, he passed this knowledge on to Buehler. In fact, Buehler ended up throwing a sweeper even better than Sauer.

Manager Lee Kang-chul joked, "Sauer taught him the sweeper, but when Buehler threw it better, it seemed like Sauer was feeling a bit jealous." In reality, Buehler's sweeper is currently receiving top-tier evaluations in the league this season. Thanks to his diverse repertoire, Buehler has posted an incredible record of 4 wins, 0 losses, and an ERA of 0.78 in his first four starts. He became the winning pitcher in all four games he started.

What surprised manager Lee Kang-chul even more was Buehler's 'scholarly' demeanor and his genius-level ability to learn. Buehler shows no hesitation in mastering new pitches. For instance, after receiving corrections from KT pitching coach Je Chun-mo on a changeup designed to attack left-handed batters, he was able to use it perfectly in actual games just two days before the match.

Manager Lee Kang-chul cited Buehler's 'willingness to learn' as the secret to his early success. The manager said, "Buehler pays great attention to every pitch he throws and has a strong spirit of taking notes. He has a very fast and smart ability to make what he is taught his own."

When asked if he expected Buehler to perform this well, manager Lee Kang-chul immediately replied, "Yes. I thought he was a pitcher who wouldn't easily crumble. After watching the full game footage, I saw that his command was excellent. He is good at managing games and is a player who excels at controlling the pace while facing batters."

Buehler's winning streak is fierce, cooking batters not with overpowering velocity but with intelligent control of speed. In particular, his performance, which has perfectly absorbed Ohtani's 'sweeper' as his own weapon, is certainly a hot topic. With his scholarly passion and genius learning ability, it is quite intriguing to see how far he will advance in the KBO League this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.