'Batting average against in scoring position: 0.083' — Is this Hwang Jun-seo or Ryu Hyun-jin? Can he prove his 'starter eligibility' today (23rd) against LG?

*This content was translated by AI.

Even with the ace card in hand, the team fell to defeat. Hwang Jun-seo (21, Hanwha Eagles) is now stepping up to rescue the team that has slipped into the lower standings. Entering his third season, he is finally ready to unleash his potential.

Hwang Jun-seo is scheduled to make his first start of the season against the LG Twins at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 23rd in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game.

Like in the previous two seasons, Hwang Jun-seo has alternated between starting and relief roles. Amidst a chaotic pitching staff situation, including the temporary replacement foreign pitcher Jack Cushing moving to the closer role, he has once again seized an opportunity. He must deliver a performance that leads the team to victory.

A graduate of Jangchung High School, Hwang Jun-seo was highly regarded as the top high school pitcher and won the Baseball Division Grand Prize at the 2023 Futures Star Awards. He was selected first overall by Hanwha in that year's rookie draft.

What seemed like a smooth path turned out to be anything but easy in the professional world. Alternating between the rotation and the bullpen, he recorded an ERA in the 5th-point range in both seasons, accumulating a staggering 16 losses. While his pitching was incredibly powerful at times, he struggled with stamina in the latter half of the season for two consecutive years.

Ahead of his third season, he worked hard to shed the weight issues that had plagued him since his debut. He relied on protein supplements and gained over 5 kilograms. Technically, he added a slider inspired by Jung Woo-ju's grip and diversified his pitching patterns by mixing in curveballs.

He also adopted Ryu Hyun-jin's mindset. In a start against the Doosan Bears on the 5th, Hwang Jun-seo threw a perfect outing over 4⅓ innings, recording seven strikeouts. He was pulled with runners on base and one out in the fifth inning; the only regret was that the subsequent pitcher allowed a home run, increasing the run total.

He subsequently moved to the bullpen. In a game against the Samsung Lions on the 14th, where the team set a KBO record for most walks and hit-by-pitches with 18, Hwang Jun-seo was the only one of the nine pitchers used who did not allow a walk or hit-by-pitch.

The next day, starter Willkel Hernandez was pulled after allowing seven runs without completing the first inning, and Hwang Jun-seo returned to the mound. Despite the sudden appearance, he threw 67 pitches over three innings, allowing only two hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts in a scoreless performance. He was the only scoreless pitcher among the four who took the mound that day.

His aggressive pitching has stood out this season. Unlike his first season, he nearly halved his walks last year, but his batting average against in scoring position remained high at 0.348. This explains why his performance over the past two seasons was similar.

However, this season is clearly different. In four games over eight innings, he has a record of one loss with a 3.38 ERA. Particularly impressive is his batting average against in scoring position: 0.083 (12 at-bats, one hit), which is overwhelming. He trails only Ryu Hyun-jin (6 at-bats, no hits) within the team. Thanks to his weight gain, he has added more velocity to his pitches, diversified his arsenal, and found it easier to face batters. Combined with his aggressive approach, the potential of the number one overall pick is finally being realized.

Hwang Jun-seo smiled and said, "Having a curveball and a slider definitely gives me more confidence against left-handed batters than last year. I think the games are going well because I'm using the curveball more."

He is becoming even more aggressive against right-handed batters by targeting the inside corner, while simultaneously reducing the frequency of his signature forkball to amplify its effect. This expanded repertoire confuses batters' minds, making the forkball, which drops sharply at critical moments, extremely difficult for them to resist.

Most welcome of all is the change in his thinking on the mound. Shortly after the team was shocked by 18 walks and hit-by-pitches, the pitching staff held a meeting. Hwang Jun-seo revealed what was discussed there. Ryu Hyun-jin instructed the pitchers to "rather get hit than give a walk. Minimize walks and choose to get hit in favorable counts," urging them to take bold risks.

Hwang Jun-seo followed this approach. Reflecting on recent games, he said, "I threw with the mindset of putting the ball in the strike zone even if it gets hit. If you just aim for the center, sometimes it ends up on the edge. I think that suits me best. I can clearly feel my stuff has improved, so not every fastball results in a hit or a foul ball, and that has given me confidence."

Manager Kim Kyung-moon indicated he could utilize Hwang Jun-seo in the middle of the bullpen as the relief corps faltered, but the manager has not sent him back to the mound since the 15th. This was interpreted as an effort to give him another chance as a starter, and ultimately, he secured another start opportunity today.

Although he has alternated between starting and relief roles, he is confident this is not a problem. Hwang Jun-seo stated, "I've done this in my first and second years, so I'm familiar with it this year. I am confident as a starter and am prepared to throw long innings regardless of where I go."

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*This content was translated by AI.