"A pitch that wins even when thrown off-target": Daniel Davis's fastball, recognized by Kang Cheol as "magic," despite not reaching 150 km/h — Why? Control + Release + [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I think we can win using only fastballs through the third inning."

Kang Cheol (60), manager of KT Wiz, expressed his satisfaction with new foreign pitcher Daniel Davis (29). His fastball, built on exceptional control, has become a terrifying pitch that batters cannot hit even when they know it's coming.

On the 1st, Davis started against Hanwha Eagles at Suwon KT Wiz Park, throwing 101 pitches over six innings, allowing four hits, two walks, and recording six strikeouts while remaining scoreless, securing his first win.

KT signed Davis as a replacement foreign player after Matt Sauer failed to meet expectations, joining the team in mid-last month.

After showing promise with five innings and two earned runs against NC in his debut, followed by five innings with one earned run (vs. LG) and six innings with two earned runs (vs. Doosan), Davis delivered his best performance today. He calmly induced groundouts even in critical situations, achieving back-to-back quality starts (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs) while earning his first KBO League victory.

Through four games, he has pitched 22 innings with a record of one win and one loss, an ERA of 2.05, a batting average against of 0.215, and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.18, earning recognition as a key asset leading KT toward the championship.

Manager Kang Cheol expressed his satisfaction. Before the game, he told reporters, "Yesterday, I told him to have confidence in his own pitch. He was aiming too much at the corners, so I instructed him to attack more inside. His control is clearly outstanding, so I don't think he'll get hit often. Even when he misses, it's a pitch that can still win. I also told the catcher to throw fastballs even if the situation is ambiguous." He added, "If he can hold opponents to three runs over six innings, the game will be fine. If they can't hit him, there's nothing we can do."

The key strength of his fastball is its sharp edge. Although his maximum velocity reaches only the mid-140 km/h range, his exceptional control and long release point amplify its effectiveness. Manager Kang explained, "His release point is very long. Since he first arrived, batters have been slightly late on their timing because of this. His arm angle is a bit low, but the release happens early, giving the impression that he's throwing in front of the batter. Batters seeing him for the first time struggle to time his fastball. Even players like (No) Si-hwan and (Kang) Baek-ho couldn't hit it despite wearing hanbok uniforms. In modern terms, we say he has good vertical movement; in Korean, that means 'good drop'; in older terms, it's called 'good finish.'"

There is also hope for further improvement because his signature changeup has not yet been effective. Manager Kang said, "If only his changeup could break more, it would be great to pitch against. Yesterday, when it did break, it was really good. But it's not working well. The velocity is a bit high — around 139 km/h, which makes it easy for batters to time with the fastball. It should be around 134–136 km/h, but that's slightly disappointing."

He continued, "They said his changeup was his primary pitch, and after facing him, batters kept saying, 'Forget the changeup.' In my opinion, his first choice pitches are the fastball and two-seam fastball. Since he knows where to throw them, it's effective. From that perspective, catchers will find it easier to call signals. We need to give it another round of evaluation. Perhaps seeing that his fastball wasn't hit yesterday has boosted his confidence. We should continue to trust him."

With Davis's strong performance securing the win, KT maintained a 0.5-game lead over first-place Samsung Lions, who are on a six-game winning streak.

Today, KT will face rival ace Ryu Hyun-jin. The starting lineup was arranged as follows: So Hyoung-jun (center field), Kim Hyun-soo (first base), Ahn Hyeon-min (right field), Sam Hilliard (left field), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Kim Sang-su (second base), Heo Kyung-min (third base), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). So Hyoung-jun will start on the mound.

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*This content was translated by AI.