"I really don't think we can touch him." Why the No. 1 team's manager praised the 'Doosan rookie pitcher' so highly... 'Scoreless in 4 games since debut'

*This content was translated by AI.

There is a rookie pitcher highly praised by Lee Kang-cheol (60), manager of the KT Wiz, who currently leads the KBO League in the standings. He is not a KT player. He is Choi Ju-hyung (20), a high school graduate left-handed pitcher for the Doosan Bears who has just made his professional debut.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol, a former star pitcher with 152 career wins, recently met with reporters at Suwon KT Wiz Park and said, "While watching game highlights, I saw a left-handed rookie pitcher for Doosan. His pitching form was truly beautiful." This was during a discussion about the relationship between a pitcher's form and injury.

Regarding Choi Ju-hyung, Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "That pitcher doesn't seem like he would get injured," and demonstrated the pitching motion himself, noting, "He's a three-quarter type, and when he drags the ball out, his waist rotates and drops right here."

It wasn't just about his form. The manager continued, praising, "Anyway, we shouldn't face them. I really don't think we can touch him. His fastball reaches around 146 to 147 km/h, and the ball moves well away from the batter. It won't be easy for left-handed batters to hit."

While saying this, he turned to a staff member beside him and joked, "Let's try to trade for him. (Since he's a rookie, it might be difficult) Later, even if I'm gone, bring him in via FA."

Choi Ju-hyung, who attended Masan High School, was selected by Doosan in the second round, 17th overall, in the 2026 Rookie Draft. Standing 174 cm tall and weighing 70 kg, his signing bonus is 120 million won. He began the season in the Futures League, recording 1 win, 0 losses, and 2 holds in 11 games with an ERA of 3.00. Over 15 innings, he allowed 10 hits and 10 walks while striking out 13 batters.

Choi Ju-hyung was first added to the first-division roster on April 29 and made his debut against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 1st. With his team leading 16-5, he faced the first batter in the bottom of the 8th, Lim Ji-yeol, and recorded an outfield fly to center field. However, he issued a walk to Park Soo-jong and a double to Kim Geon-hee, putting the team in a crisis with one out and runners on second and third. Nevertheless, he struck out Yang Hyeon-jong on a 146 km/h fastball on the seventh pitch with a swing-and-miss and retired Song Ji-hoo on a 124 km/h slider with a swing-and-miss strikeout, finishing the inning without allowing a run.

In the game against Kiwoom on the 3rd, he struck out all three batters he faced. In the match against LG Twins on the 6th, he allowed only one walk and held the line for one inning. In the game against SSG Landers on the 8th, he appeared in the top of the 6th with his team trailing 1-4, facing left-handed batters. He walked Park Sung-han but retired Jeong Jun-jae with a ground ball to the third baseman (a bunt attempt), completing his mission. In four games since his debut, over 3 1/3 innings, he faced 14 batters, allowing 1 hit, 3 walks, and recording 6 strikeouts, maintaining a scoreless streak.

Kim Won-hyung (54), the Doosan manager with 134 career wins, also praised Choi Ju-hyung. Ahead of the LG game on the 7th, Manager Kim said, "Watching Choi Ju-hyung is fun. Batters find his pitching form difficult, and his arm swing is fast. His biggest strength is throwing strikes consistently every time he appears on the mound without variation." He added, "If he grows a bit taller and increases his velocity by 2 to 3 km/h, I believe he will become a truly excellent pitcher."

After finishing his debut game on the 1st, Choi Ju-hyung stated in an interview, "When I was sent down to the Futures League midway through spring training, I vowed to make it to the first-division roster this year no matter what. My goal for this season is to stay in the first division for as long as possible. I want to show 'fighting rooster' mode pitching on the mound, never running away."

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*This content was translated by AI.