'A historic first for the KBO,' yet Manager Park Jun-young was not the pick... "Jung Woo-ju will likely get three more starts" [Gocheok]

*This content was translated by AI.

"We plan to give Jung Woo-ju three more opportunities."

Although Jung Woo-ju dominated in the Futures League before being called up and secured a starting win in his first-team debut, Manager Kim Kyung-moon (68) prioritized Jung Woo-ju (20) over Park Jun-young (24).

Speaking to reporters ahead of Hanwha's visit to face the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 12th, Manager Kim said, "I think we should give (Jung) Woo-ju the opportunity first. After watching him pitch about three times, I plan to discuss it with the pitching coach."

Park Jun-young is a pitcher who brought new hope to Hanwha. After failing to make it through three attempts to join the pros, he gained recognition among baseball fans through the baseball variety show 'Bulkkot Baseball' and joined Hanwha as a development player at the end of last year.

He performed well in the Futures League, recording 4 wins with no losses in 7 games with an ERA of 1.29. Although May arrived, allowing him to be registered, and a significant hole opened in the starting rotation, Park Jun-young did not receive an opportunity.

Finally called up on the 10th, Park Jun-young started against the LG Twins, pitching 5 innings with 3 hits allowed, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts without allowing a run. With support from the lineup, he ultimately secured a starting win in his debut. This marks the first time in KBO League history that a development player has earned a starting win in their debut. It was a performance with significant impact.

Hanwha plans to have Will Hernandez and Owen White return to its starting rotation, which currently only includes Ryu Hyun-jin and Wang Yencheng. However, with Moon Dong-ju departing, one spot remains open. While it was expected that Park Jun-young would fill this vacancy, Manager Kim made a different choice.

Jung Woo-ju is struggling this season. In 19 games, he has pitched 15 innings, recording 5 holds, an ERA of 7.20, a batting average against of 0.305, and a WHIP of 2.33. He started against the KIA Tigers on the 7th but was pulled early after just 1⅔ innings, allowing 1 hit, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 runs. While it appears the intention is to help Jung Woo-ju find his rhythm by pitching longer stretches, it is somewhat puzzling that he was chosen over Park Jun-young, who has already achieved good results as a starter.

When asked how he viewed Park Jun-young's pitching, Manager Kim replied, "He has received so much praise from those around him that it might be time to rest him."

Manager Kim added, "There is one way to handle Park Jun-young if he unexpectedly comes down quickly from a start: if his control is this good, he could also be used in relief. However, since he threw a lot of pitches, both Park Jun-youngs need to rest. Depending on the game situation, I plan to discuss this further with the pitching coach."

Hanwha faces Baek Dong-hyun, who was released via the second draft last year and has since emerged as an ace at Kiwoom. For today's game, Hanwha lined up its batting order as follows: Hwang Young-mok (second baseman), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Lee Jin-young (center fielder), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop).

Expectations rest on Ryu Hyun-jin, who recorded his 120th career win in the KBO and is just two wins away from reaching 200 combined wins in the KBO and MLB.

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*This content was translated by AI.