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KT Wiz left-hander Jeon Yong-ju (26), in his eighth professional season, has finally become the pitcher manager Lee Kang-chul (60) calls upon at the most critical moments.
On the 12th, during a home game against the KIA Tigers at Suwon KT Wiz Park as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, Jeon delivered a strong performance over 1⅓ innings with one hit allowed, no walks, two strikeouts, and zero runs, contributing to KT's 6-2 victory.
The situation from his appearance was not easy. With KT leading 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, reliever Sugi Moto Kouki surrendered a two-run double to Park Jung-woo with two outs and a runner on second base, allowing a stolen base as well. The score stood at 3-2, where a single hit could tie the game.
Manager Lee Kang-chul chose Jeon Yong-ju as the pitcher. His opponent was national team left-handed batter Park Jae-hyun. Jeon entered with a 2-strike, 2-ball count and retired Park Jae-hyun via a swinging strikeout, ending the crisis.
He appeared again in the eighth inning, facing KIA's core lineup. He recorded Harold Castro as a shortstop grounder and Na Sung-beom as a straight-line hit to the shortstop. Although he allowed a two-run single to Kim Sun-bin, he remained composed. He struck out Ha Joo-seok with a tight outside fastball that resulted in a swing-and-miss, perfectly completing his mission.
KT added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to lead 6-2 and secured the victory. With their fifth consecutive win, KT maintained its position at the top of the standings, while Jeon achieved his first career single-season 10 holds.
After the game, Jeon said, "My goal for this season was 10 holds, and I'm happy to have reached it exactly today," but added, "Rather than setting new personal goals, I want to focus solely on team victories in every game."
Jeon Yong-ju is a left-handed pitcher who attended Yangjin Elementary School (Asan City Little League), Seongil Middle School, and Ansan High School before being selected as the first overall pick in the 2019 KBO Rookie Draft by KT.
Expectations were high, but his growth was not rapid. After making his professional debut in the first division in 2019, he did not receive many opportunities in the first division for seven years until last year. However, this year has been completely different. He appeared in 59 games, recording 4 wins, 2 losses, 10 holds, an ERA of 4.19, and 43 strikeouts over 43 innings, establishing himself as a key pillar of KT's bullpen.
On March 29 against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium, he earned his first professional win after seven years in the league. Since then, he has consistently held a spot in the first division and has become the pitcher manager Lee trusts to handle critical moments. A representative example was the game against Suwon Kiwoom Heroes on the 14th of last month. Entering in relief following Ko Young-pyo in the top of the sixth inning with one out and runners on third base, Jeon retired two consecutive batters via strikeouts to secure the win.
He is no longer just a "left-handed pitcher" taking the mound. When asked what has changed most for him this year, Jeon pointed not to his pitch types or velocity but to his "mindset." He stated, "This year, I tried to believe in myself and think that what I have is good enough. I worked hard with the mindset of doing what I can do well."
Support from those around him also played a significant role. Jeon said, "There are many experienced pitchers on our team. I listen to their advice on how to handle different situations and sometimes go ask them directly," adding, "Especially since my locker is right next to senior players Kim Hyun-soo and Woo Kyu-min, I have learned a lot from them. Mentally, I have improved significantly because of that."
As his experience has grown, so has his understanding of his role. Jeon emphasized, "Ultimately, whether left-handed or right-handed, the pitcher who can get outs must take the mound," and added, "We need to maintain the momentum and score created by batters and teammates ahead of us. I believe my role is to pass on the winning energy to Yeong-hyun at the end."
His perspective on his own pitches has also changed. Jeon's four-seam fastball tends to have more movement rather than straight trajectory. Initially, he had many concerns about his low four-seam RPM (revolutions per minute), but that is no longer the case.
Jeon said, "At first, I wanted to throw a pitch with high rotation speed like everyone else, one that looked cool to anyone watching. But trying to do so didn't work well," and continued, "Now, I'm thinking about simply leveraging my strengths. My four-seam fastball has movement, and sometimes it even gets recorded as a two-seam fastball in Trackman data. I believe this is one of the reasons why batters struggle against me despite having only two pitches."
As he began to stop doubting his own abilities, results followed. He gained experience facing not only left-handed hitters but also right-handed ones, and became accustomed to exchanging daily feedback with pitching coaches and developing game-specific plans.
Jeon said, "Actually, my goal for this season was 10 holds. I'm happy to have achieved it exactly today. Now, rather than focusing on personal records, I want to concentrate on the team winning every game," and added, "The best way I can help the team is by pitching well. I will do my best in my current role and am determined to win the championship this year."
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*This content was translated by AI.
