'TEX-DET scouts were here': An Woo-jin, first home run allowed and most runs allowed in the season... Excessive boldness backfired [Gocheok]

*This content was translated by AI.

Was his excessive boldness the cause of his downfall? An Woo-jin (27, Kiwoom Heroes) left behind a disappointing result in front of numerous Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts.

On the 14th, An Woo-jin started against Hanwha Eagles at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game, throwing 74 pitches over 5 innings, allowing 7 hits (including 1 home run), walking no batters, and giving up 3 earned runs, taking the second loss of the season (1 win).

With 3 runs allowed today, his ERA (Earned Run Average) also skyrocketed from 1.80 to 2.70. The content of the game was more disappointing than the result.

In the previous five games, An Woo-jin recorded only 1 earned run over 9 innings, showcasing overwhelmingly dominant pitching. Today was somewhat different. He had to pitch in front of many Big League scouts alongside the 13th sellout crowd at Gocheok for the season.

According to a Kiwoom Heroes official, many MLB scouts from teams including the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers visited the venue today. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were there to observe An Woo-jin, who is considered the top prospect for a move to Major League Baseball (MLB).

Was it a desire to show too much? An Woo-jin appeared somewhat impatient. Manager Seol Jong-jin had previously indicated that he would not entrust An Woo-jin, who has not been out of injury for long, with more than 100 pitches, yet An Woo-jin seemed to aim to cover as many innings as possible with the fewest pitches.

An Woo-jin started perfectly with two strikeouts in the first inning, but he allowed consecutive hits to begin the second. Driven by the intent to secure a favorable count, he boldly threw inside on the first pitch, but Noh Si-hwan and Heo In-seo swung aggressively as if they knew everything. Noh Si-hwan hit a double, and Heo In-seo hit a single to left field, resulting in 1 run allowed. He then retired the next three batters cleanly, making the run-scoring process even more regrettable.

An Woo-jin ended the third inning with just 6 pitches. In the top of the fourth, he struck out two batters with his 158 km/h and 157 km/h fastballs as his primary weapons, finishing the inning. His pitch count was 51 through the fourth inning. It seemed he could have easily pitched into the sixth.

However, in the top of the fifth with no outs and a 1-1 count, his 140 km/h slider headed toward the hanbok zone, and Kim Tae-yeon hit a solo home run over the left-field wall. This was his first home run allowed this season and the turning point where he lost the lead, 1-2. Afterwards, he allowed a double to Lee Do-yoon, who hit a 150 km/h fastball that he threw to secure the count while facing a 2-0 disadvantage.

The thought that no additional runs should be allowed with no outs and a runner on second base was strong, and even though it was not a force-out situation when Lee Won-seok bunted, An Woo-jin threw to third base. He failed to get the runner out, and with no outs and runners on first and third, he induced a ground ball to the first baseman from Yonatan Peraza, but Lee Do-yoon's touch at home plate was faster than Choi Joo-hwan's throw, resulting in the third run allowed. Although he finished the inning without further damage, he ultimately handed the ball to Oh Seok-ju starting in the sixth.

His fastball reached a maximum speed of 158 km/h today, and his slider (26 pitches) and curveball (12 pitches) were all used as primary weapons, proving sufficiently threatening. He also deceived batters with his changeup (8 pitches) and forkball (2 pitches). This was also the reason he could record 7 strikeouts in just 5 innings.

However, impatience yields no benefits. While aggressive pitching can be a major advantage, this game confirmed that trying to shoulder too many innings recklessly can instead lead to more trouble.

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*This content was translated by AI.