"152 wins legend," showed off his power against the defending champion

Won Sang-hyun (KT Wiz), a rookie who had been drawing attention as one of the biggest fish pitchers in the 2024 KBO rookie draft, left a strong impression at his first actual game. Notably, Won's curveball, his main weapon, stood out.

KT, led by head coach Lee Kang-chul, won 3-2 at home against the LG Twins in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League exhibition game at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 10th.  사설 토토사이트

In his showdown with Lim Chan-kyu, who is now in his 14th year as a starter, Won pitched 47 pitches, allowing four hits, two outs, and five strikeouts in three innings. By ball type, fastballs (28) were the most common, followed by sliders (10 pitches) and curves (nine). The maximum speed of fastballs is 150 km/h.

Won, who faced a scoring crisis in the top of the first inning and in the top of the second inning as well, was still mired in ball count despite the crisis. Out of five strikeouts, he struck out four with curves. Major hitters of LG, the defending champion, and Oh Ji-hwan, who was named MVP of the Korean Series last year, struggled a bit with the breaking ball.

According to KT, Won's turn per minute (RPM) reached 3,000 during the camp period. Won has displayed highly completed breaking balls early on. "Won Sang-hyun is a pitcher who can throw breaking balls up to 150km/h, and he is showing stable pitching capability," said Lee Kang-chul, a legendary coach who achieved 152 wins in total by displaying stable ball control. "He is showing stable performance."

Won Sang-hyun, who used the curveball considering ABS (Automatic Pitcher Judgment System), said, "I intentionally threw the curveball a little high. I saw Lim Chan-kyu throw a curveball and it turned into a strike." I watched Lim Chan-kyu's curveball carefully because I knew he had a good one.

Won Won Sang-hyun, who was selected by KT as the seventh pick in the first round of the 2024 KBO rookie draft after graduating from Gaeseong Middle School and Busan High School, was evaluated as an immediate power since he joined the team. "Won Sang-hyun is a right-handed pitcher with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers and a stable breaking ball based on his outstanding athletic ability, and he also has excellent game management skills such as aggressive pitching on the mound," KT said.

He already had plenty of potential. Won, who has grown to a new level through training and advice since joining the pro league, has high expectations even before the opening of the tournament. Some analysts say that if he survives the competition to select the fifth starter, he may be able to join the race for the Rookie of the Year with Hwang Joon-seo (Hanwha Eagles) and Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan Bears).

"Of course, I am conscious of my teammates," Won said. "I watch a lot of videos that (Hwang) Jun-seo and (Kim) Taek-yeon threw. They communicate with each other frequently. I hope all three of them enter the entry and compete in the opening game," Won said. "I sometimes can't control my fastball well, but I can always throw breaking balls well. I am really confident in my curves."

Won, who is not satisfied with his actual performance, is still growing. "I have made the level of completion of the splitter 7 to 80 percent, and if I am to take the mound during the regular season, I will throw (the splitter) at that time," Won said, adding, "Coach Lee Kang-chul recently introduced me to his slider grip, and I used it several times today (10th). I got good results."