An ABS zone 2.5 balls wider than in MLB: Why are Korean pitchers issuing so many 'ball, ball, ball, ball'? [Kim In-sik's One Word]

*This content was translated by AI.

This season, four pitchers stand out in Major League Baseball (MLB).

First is Milwaukee's right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (24, 7-2, ERA 1.50, stats as of 11 a.m. Korean time). His fastball regularly exceeds 100 mph (161 km/h), reaching up to 103 mph (166 km/h). He started against Colorado on the 7th, throwing just 27 pitches through three innings and only 60 pitches through five innings (final: 98 pitches, 7 innings, 1 earned run, no decision win). He issued exactly one walk in the fourth inning.

Next is Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (32, 6-2, ERA 1.06), who has thrown more four-seam fastballs and sweepers this year. When we faced him in past national team games, his top speed was around 98 mph, but now he easily exceeds 100 mph.

The third is Pittsburgh's right-hander Paul Skenes (24, 6-5, 2.84). His velocity ranges from 98 to 100 mph, and he is a pitcher with tremendous strength and excellent ball movement.

Finally, there is Philadelphia's Christopher Sanchez (30, 8-2, 1.54), who pitched for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, throwing five scoreless innings with two hits allowed against Korea in the quarterfinals. Despite being a left-handed pitcher, he throws sinkers inside to left-handed batters.

The common trait among these four pitchers is that they issue very few walks. Misiorowski has 22 walks in 78 innings, Ohtani 21 in 67⅔ innings, Skenes 15 in 76 innings, and Sanchez 18 in 93⅓ innings. This means they have been pitching by consistently throwing strikes and getting batters out.

Now let's turn our eyes to the Korean Professional Baseball League. In my view, the ABS zone in the KBO League is wider than the MLB strike zone by about one ball to the left and right, one ball upward, and one and a half balls downward. In total, it is 2.5 balls wider vertically. Conversely, the MLB pitchers listed above are demonstrating perfect control even within a narrower strike zone.

I also believe this is why Ryan Weiss (30), who won 16 games last season with the KBO League's Hanwha Eagles, is struggling this season with Houston in the majors, posting a 0-3 record and a 7.62 ERA. He has given up 20 walks in 26 innings over nine games, a stark contrast to the 56th walks he allowed in 178⅔ innings in Korea last year.

Similarly, Cody Ponce (32, Toronto), who won 17 games for Hanwha last season, has fully recovered from injury. Observing how he pitches upon his return will help us more accurately understand the impact of the strike zone change.

Despite the relatively wider strike zone, as of the 10th of this season, 2,368 walks have been issued in 305 games in the KBO League. That averages 7.8 walks per game for both teams combined. Including 345 hit-by-pitches, a total of 2,713 hit-by-pitches (8.9 per game) are being thrown recklessly.

In particular, the control of middle relievers is often chaotic, leading to situations where teams that were leading by a few runs end up losing in the later innings. Recently, I even saw a team allow five walks in a single inning.

Why is this happening? First, we must consider why a pitcher lifts one leg when throwing the ball. It is to gather power in the back leg. As such, a pitcher must be able to concentrate power perfectly from the legs, knees, waist, elbow, shoulder, and wrist.

Among these, the most critical point is that the 'power position,' where the most power is gathered during the pitch, must not deviate more than 35 to 40 cm from the 'ear' on the throwing side. While each pitcher has a different style, whether overhand or sidearm, the elbow passes by the ear at the moment the arm bends. You can also see this when infielders throw the ball by raising their hands toward their ears.

Next is the 'eyes.' Pitchers must focus on where the ball is going, yet they look elsewhere when throwing. Even though coaches and pitchers themselves know this, they only talk about it without putting it into practice. Record pitch videos and check them.

All four MLB pitchers mentioned earlier keep their eyes fixed straight on the catcher, and their arm swings also go from the ear forward. They are properly adhering to the basics of pitching.

Finally, pitchers must throw more balls during practice. When I was the coach of the Dongguk University baseball team, I once observed the basketball team's training. Every day, players come out at dawn and shoot 500 shots. To make a basket, you must focus your eyes on the rim.

The same applies to golf. To sink the ball into the hole on the green, you must practice putting hundreds of times a day. Even when playing games like marbles in childhood, mustn't you focus your eyes?

If you fail to maintain the basics of the 'ear' and 'eyes,' the ball will inevitably leave the strike zone and go astray.

I urge on-site coaches. In amateur baseball, pitchers should be encouraged to throw more balls during training. In professional baseball, they must be taught game management skills. I hope they are thoroughly instructed on how to handle specific situations, such as what to do in certain counts or game scenarios.

/Kim In-sik, former Korean national baseball team coach (currently a senior advisor to the KBO)

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.