"I'm not intimidated." The secret to a 0.083 batting average against in scoring position... 'Hanwha's development success story' Park Jun-young faces his third test today (the 2nd) against Doosan

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Park Jun-young (24, Hanwha Eagles), who became the first player in KBO history to earn a starting win in his debut game as a development roster player, pitched the most innings in his second attempt. Can he deliver again in his third challenge?

Park Jun-young is scheduled to start against the Doosan Bears in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the afternoon of the 2nd at 6:30 p.m.

After being rejected in the rookie draft three times, he joined the team as a development roster player through the baseball variety show 'Bulkkot Baseball' and had only played in the Futures League. In just one year, too many changes have occurred for him.

After dominating in the Futures League with 4 wins and an ERA of 1.29 in 7 games, he secured a victory on the 10th of last month against the LG Twins with a scoreless performance of 5 innings, allowing 3 hits, issuing 3 walks, and recording 2 strikeouts.

Park Jun-young, who gave up runs along with walks in both of his two relief appearances since then, started again against the NC Dinos on the 27th, pitching cleanly without issuing a single walk over 5 innings. He entered in the 6th inning and gave up back-to-back home runs, leaving some regret, but he pitched the most innings since his debut, clearly demonstrating his potential as a fifth starter.

Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon praised him, saying, "He gave up two home runs at the end, but the fact that he stayed on the mound until the 6th inning and gave up only a few runs is remarkable. That means he should be used as a starter again next time. He gave up home runs, but he fulfilled his role."

He has been given another chance. This time it is against Doosan. Since Doosan is trailing by 2.5 games, one step behind, he cannot back down. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to swap positions with the fourth-place KIA Tigers, who are only 0.5 games behind.

This is an important stage to gauge whether Park Jun-young can secure a spot in the starting rotation. He made an impact in his debut and pitched steadily without walks in his last game, but it is important to maintain that stability again this time.

Expectations are high. Above all, he has an extraordinary boldness. In a situation where pitchers are collapsing due to walks, his aggressive pitching is what makes him stand out the most. Park Jun-young said, "When I came out of the bullpen, the cause of all the runs given up was walks, so my first mission was to never give up a walk, and that helped."

Although there are many differences, his aggressive approach to minimizing walks resembles Ryu Hyun-jin. Park Jun-young said, "If I give up a walk, nothing happens, so I'd rather give up a home run." He added, "I can't do the trick of throwing in and out of the strike zone like Senior Hyun-jin, but Coach Park Seung-min always tells me before the game, 'It's about momentum. The moment you get intimidated, it's already over,' so I try not to be intimidated."

This is also one of his greatest strengths. Regarding the secret to his strong performances, he said, "I think the biggest thing is not being intimidated. I feel that if I get intimidated, I won't be able to do anything and it will end. Since this is the stage I have dreamed of for a long time, I believe that if I throw my pitches without regret and come down, the results will follow, so I throw with that mindset."

Believing in himself and throwing boldly is yielding results. He has pitched 12 2/3 innings in 4 games, posting a record of 1 win and no losses with an ERA of 3.55. Particularly surprising is his batting average against in scoring position of 0.083 (12 at-bats, 1 hit allowed). This shows a significant difference from his season batting average against (0.255). In scoring position, he issued only one hit by ball or hit, while striking out 5 batters.

Park Jun-young, who reacted as if he himself found it strange, said, "When there are runners on base, I seem to focus more on the batter than the runners, which produced that effect." He also stated, "I don't know why my batting average against in scoring position is good either. I think I should have paid more attention even when there were no runners."

The fact that he still has endless potential for growth further raises expectations. Since joining the professional team, this was the first time he threw more than 80 pitches, and he even pitched the most innings. He is confident that his velocity can increase further. Park Jun-young said, "In the Futures League, my top velocity was 146 km/h, and while playing baseball, I threw up to 147-148 km/h. My velocity has increased since my first start, so if I prepare well and continue to work hard, I think it will go up even more."

His only thought is to stay in the first division for a long time rather than focusing on a specific role, so he can help the team. Park Jun-young said, "Whether it's the bullpen or the starting rotation, I am grateful to be able to play in games. Whatever the role, I want to play in games." He added, "I will be doing more analysis in the future, and I think I can't continue like this. I will prepare harder for other things and make the most of my strengths to be able to pitch well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original