The onion-like charm of KT's new foreign investor, manager Lee Kang-cheol, recalled 'National Treasure' Sun Dong-yeol: "The pitch type considered the worst was actually the best."

*This content was translated by AI.

"Surprisingly, the pitch type considered the worst turned out to be the best."

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) recalled former manager Sun Dong-yeol (63), a 'national treasure pitcher,' when observing new foreign pitcher Daniel Davis (29).

Daniel made his season debut as the starting pitcher in an away game against LG Twins at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 19th, lasting five innings while allowing seven hits, one walk, three strikeouts, and one earned run, taking the first loss of the season.

On this day, Daniel threw a total of 88 pitches: 25 two-seam fastballs, 25 changeups, 17 cutters, 13 four-seam fastballs, and eight sliders. His fastest pitch was a two-seam fastball reaching 146 km/h.

The onion-like charm mentioned by the manager before the game was revealed alongside unresolved challenges. After watching Daniel's debut performance, manager Lee Kang-cheol recalled former manager Sun Dong-yeol. Former manager Sun threw pitches with difficult trajectories based on his natural physical attributes. Similarly, Daniel delivered a strong outing on the 13th in Changwon against NC Dinos, pitching five innings with two hits allowed (one home run), two walks, five strikeouts, and two earned runs using a low and quick arm swing.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol explained, "I thought Daniel's two-seam fastball was very good. Like former manager Sun Dong-yeol in the past, he has a low and long arm motion, which likely has pros and cons. His two-seam fastball generates many spins, resulting not just in ground balls but also in swings and misses. It doesn't just drop; it maintains its force until the end."

The same pattern held true on this day. LG batters struggled to time Daniel's two-seam fastballs. In the first inning, Park Hae-min failed at a bunt attempt, and Moon Bo-kyung was retired with a fly ball to left field. In the second inning, Shin Min-jae swung and missed, and in the third inning, Song Chan-ui also swung and missed.

Another key factor behind the effectiveness of his two-seam fastball is the vertical movement generated by high spin rates. Although Daniel stands at 185 cm, which is not particularly tall among foreign pitchers, he is known to have an extension reaching approximately two meters. By releasing the ball closer to the batter and maintaining a low arm angle, he can create a perceived velocity effect exceeding his measured speed.

The old saying "vertical movement is good" came up, meaning the pitch maintains its velocity well until it reaches home plate—a trait commonly seen in pitchers with excellent vertical movement on their fastballs. Manager Lee stated, "These days, we don't call it 'vertical movement'; back then, we called it 'vertical drop.' We also said the ball's end was good. Anyway, I haven't seen many pitchers this season who deliver better vertical drop than speed. A 145 km/h pitch feels like it's moving at 147 km/h."

On the other hand, manager Lee held back on evaluating Daniel's changeup, which he himself identified as his signature pitch, as well as other pitches like the cutter and sweeper. The manager said, "If he throws the sweeper accurately, it won't be bad. It's not a pitch that curves sharply from start to finish; instead, it starts in the middle and moves outward toward right-handed batters. Just achieving this should have some effect."

In fact, on this day, Daniel's sweeper curved flatly, allowing a single to left field by right-handed batter Moon Jung-bin in the first inning. The only run allowed came from a cutter that landed awkwardly on the outside edge. However, rather than disappointment, the two games showed more anticipation for his adaptation. The ideal scenario envisioned by the manager is attacking the strike zone with the two-seam fastball, targeting the outside corner against right-handed batters with the sweeper, and then stealing timing with the changeup.

Manager Lee added, "If he mixes the two-seam fastball and changeup well and forms good pitch combinations, there's nothing more to ask for. I understand he has also discussed with the pitching coach not trying to use everything but discarding what doesn't work. He needs time to adapt on the mound, as adaptation is still required."

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*This content was translated by AI.