'Top 154km' LAD's Jang Hyun-seok, 6 innings with no walks and eight strikeouts... Perfect debut in Single A+! Will Korea's top talent finally bloom?

*This content was translated by AI.

Jang Hyun-seok (22, Great Lakes Loons), hailed as one of Korea's top baseball talents, showcased an impressive performance in his High-A debut.

On the 31st (Korea time), Jang started for the Loons at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan, USA, in a home game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Single A+) in the 2026 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) High-A regular season. He pitched six innings, allowing three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts, leading the Loons to an 11-1 victory.

According to "Dodgers After Duty," which reports on Dodgers minor league news, Jang threw a total of 81 pitches, with 51 strikes. His fastest fastball reached 96 mph (approximately 154 km/h). The most impressive breaking ball was his curveball.

His pitching ability is backed by the numbers. There were no significant threats. In the first inning, Jang retired all three batters with two strikeouts. In the second inning, he allowed a fair double to right field but finished the frame without allowing a run by striking out Lamar King Jr. and inducing an infield grounder from Jack Evans.

The Loons continued their offensive surge. From the bottom of the second inning with one out and a runner on second base through the fifth inning, Jang retired eight consecutive batters, delivering a flawless performance. Even in the sixth inning, when he faced a two-out, bases-loaded situation due to two singles, he struck out multiple batters and induced an infield grounder from the shortstop to escape the jam. The Loons' hitters supported Jang's Single A+ debut victory with explosive offense, scoring 11 runs on eight hits.

This was Jang Hyun-seok's Single A+ debut. After graduating from Masan Yongma High School, Jang signed a $1 million contract with the Dodgers as an international amateur free agent in 2023 and moved to the United States. However, his progress has been slow, spending two years in the Rookie League and another two years in Low-A.

This year, he also struggled in Low-A, posting a record of 3 wins and 3 losses with an ERA of 5.91 in 16 games. Over 67 innings, he issued 39 walks and hit batters (29 walks and 10 hit batters) while recording 85 strikeouts. However, on this day, he demonstrated perfect control and pitching ability, raising expectations for his future.

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*This content was translated by AI.