"I don't feel good when I'm called a 'replacement starter' → I'm not a player replacing someone else," KIA's Hwang Dong-ha makes a firm statement

*This content was translated by AI.

"I pitched as a full-time starter in 2024, so I don't feel good when I'm called a 'replacement starter'."

KIA Tigers right-handed starting pitcher Hwang Dong-ha (24) finally opened up about what he has been holding inside. He spoke a firm and earnest "statement of conviction" from the mouth of a gentle youth who has always silently guarded the mound. It was also a bold expression of his desire to firmly take his place in the starting rotation, no longer as a "replacement starter."

On the 28th, Hwang Dong-ha started in the away game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League," throwing 78 pitches over 6 innings, delivering a perfect pitching performance with 4 hits allowed, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, and 0 earned runs. Thanks to Hwang Dong-ha's stellar pitching and the explosive hitting lineup that recorded 14 hits, KIA thoroughly defeated Kiwoom 5-0 and surged to six consecutive wins.

Hwang Dong-ha's pitching on this day was truly aggressive. Centering on a fastball with a top speed of 146 km/h, he mixed in sharp sliders (23) and forkballs (22) to dismantle the Kiwoom lineup. As evidenced by the ideal ratio of 54 strikes to 24 balls, aggressively targeting the strike zone proved highly effective.

Especially, even when facing back-to-back hits in the bottom of the 4th inning and finding himself in a bases-loaded situation, he did not waver and allowed no runs. After the game, when meeting reporters, Hwang Dong-ha said, "I didn't feel shaken at all. Since the batters were trying to hit aggressively, I only thought I had to push forward even more aggressively." He added, "I thought I could hold them off once I got two strikes, and when I got two strikes against senior player Choi Ju-hwan's at-bat, I thought, 'That's it,'" recalling the moment. After striking out Choi Ju-hwan, Hwang Dong-ha ended the inning by getting Lee Hyung-jong and Kim Woong-bin out via a second baseman's fly ball and a pitcher's grounder, respectively.

In fact, Hwang Dong-ha's start to this season was not smooth. He was pushed out of the spring training starting pitcher competition and began the season in the bullpen. In his first appearance on March 29 against the SSG Landers, he collapsed, allowing 4 hits (3 home runs) and 6 earned runs in 1⅓ innings. However, with the team facing a string of injuries, he seized a starting opportunity and completely transformed into a different pitcher by May. Appearing as a starter five times in May alone, he achieved an astonishing record of 4 wins with no losses and an ERA of 1.48, immediately rising as a strong candidate for the KBO League May Monthly MVP. In particular, his perfect 7-inning performance on the 2nd against KT Wiz in a home game, allowing 4 hits and 5 strikeouts with 0 earned runs, was spectacular.

Regarding his recent tremendous upward trend, Hwang Dong-ha calmly smiled, saying, "I think the good recent momentum led to good results because I tried to maintain that momentum without making any changes."

Emphasizing that he has dreamed only of being a "starting pitcher" since high school, Hwang Dong-ha laughed, "I feel like I've realized my dream and am living my dream when I pitch as a starter, so my concentration seems to get higher."

However, regarding the label of "replacement starter," he shared his honest true feelings: "Even in 2024, I pitched as a starter almost full-time, but I didn't feel good when I was called a 'replacement starter' then. Now, I want to stand proudly not as a player replacing someone else, but as a player just playing 'my baseball.' I want to get rid of the label attached to my name as soon as possible, so I will work even harder." This was a confession reflecting a pitcher's pride against being labeled solely as a player who fills someone else's gap, and a desire to become a true ace.

With this victory, Hwang Dong-ha has already secured his fifth win, tying his single-season record for most wins (5 wins, 7 losses in 2024). Even when pointed out that this is a career-high season, Hwang Dong-ha responded cautiously, "I have not yet had five wins in a single season. Overcoming this hurdle is truly important to me. If I get stuck on the line and can't continue, I think I can grow that much more only after achieving five wins and overcoming it."

Finally, when asked about the starting pitcher competition, noting that Shirakawa Keisho (25) has joined and right-handed rookie Kim Tae-hyung (20) has also joined, he offered a mature answer. Hwang Dong-ha said calmly, "Competition is something everyone always faces. I think if we each do our best in our own positions to not fall behind each other, the team can rise to a higher place."

Hwang Dong-ha, who wants to break away from the image of a "replacement player." Within his honest statement of conviction, there burns a hot ambition to be ingrained not just as a player with a fleeting performance, but as a true "starting pitcher" who dominates the KBO League.

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*This content was translated by AI.