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"Cowardly", "cowardly", "cowardly" A soft-spoken free agent pitcher's 'resolution' to face a robot umpire

Ham Deok-ju (29) played as a key bullpen member of LG last season and even signed his first free agent contract. What does he think about the so-called robot referee and Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS) that will be newly introduced from the 2024 season?

Ham Deok-ju met with reporters after the LG Twins' New Year's greeting event at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 5th and said, "I thought staying at LG was the best scenario. I also think LG offered the best conditions, so I went on my honeymoon. "We signed a contract quickly afterward. We didn't talk about the contract at all during our honeymoon. And I think we signed it after talking on the phone right after we returned," he said.

After joining the Doosan Bears in 2013, Ham Deok-ju wore the LG Twins uniform through a trade in 2021. In the 2023 season, he appeared in 57 games and performed well with 4 wins, 4 saves, 16 holds, 55⅔ innings, and an ERA of 1.62. Also, in the Korean Series, he pitched in 4 games and contributed to the combined championship with 1 win and an ERA of 2.70 in 3⅓ innings.

Ham Deok-ju qualified as a free agent for the first time in his career after the end of the 2023 season. And on the 24th of last month, he signed a free agent contract with LG for a total of 3.8 billion won (down payment of 600 million won, annual salary of 1.4 billion won, and incentive of 1.8 billion won) for a four-year contract period. After signing the contract, the LG club said, "Ham Deok-ju is a pitcher with a lot of experience, including national team experience," and "He showed his best appearance in the 2023 season as he regained his health. He also played his role in the team's sure-to-win team. “I hope that he will continue to be healthy and pitch for the team from the mound,” he said.

In particular, nearly half of the contract size was filled with options, which attracted attention. Regarding this, Ham Deok-ju said, "I had very good grades last year, but it is an option that I can receive even if I don't go that far. If I can stay healthy and pitch in the first team, I can receive enough. There is no big deal about things like grades." explained.

KBO will introduce an automatic ball judging system starting from the 2024 season. Naturally, it is important for pitchers to adapt well to the robot umpire's zone. What does Ham Deok-ju think about this? He expressed his opinion by laughing and saying the word "although cowardly" three times.

Ham Deok-ju said, “First of all, I don’t know how the strike zone will be formed,” but added, “But I think all fastballs will be similar to some extent anyway.”

Meanwhile, what Ham Deok-ju chose as the key point was the breaking ball. He said, "Every pitcher's breaking ball trajectory is different. I think I need to check that part as well. Rather, I think I'll try to take advantage of that part. If I catch a high ball or something like that well, I think I'll throw it more. Also, if it is called a strike for going low, it may seem a bit cowardly (laughter), but I guess I have no choice but to throw it.”

Ham Deok-ju boasts of his good nature, to the point where he is called a ‘soft-headed boy’ among his colleagues. In fact, it was a bit awkward for Ham Deok-ju to use the word 'cowardly'. However, as Ham Deok-ju said, making good use of the robot referee's strike zone should actually be seen as smart, not cowardly. This is also a task for all pitchers from the 10 teams in the 2024 season.

Ham Deok-ju said, "I don't know whether I will be able to practice to adapt to the robot referee's zone during this spring camp period. If I can practice, I think I should check by throwing more breaking balls rather than fast balls. If I catch a certain part as a strike, “We will have to keep attacking. It’s cowardly (laughs), but I think we have to do it,” he said emphatically.

He continued, "I think I've only played a robot referee game once in the Futures League. I'm the type of person who throws with a completely deep look to the outside, so there were times when I thought it was a strike but it turned out to be a ball. Instead, the breaking ball went in like a short bounce, but it was called a strike. “There was a time when I received it. That’s why I think I have to use it cowardly in that direction,” he said, laughing again.

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