When will the ‘Moon Kim Daejeon’ happen?
Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) became the first Korean pitcher to break the dream 160km. On the 12th against Gwangju KIA, with no runners at the end of the 1st inning, 160.1 km (based on KBO official record company Sports 2I) was recorded when he threw a 3-pitch fastball in the middle with a ball count of 2S against Park Chan-ho and struck out.
On this day, Moon Dong-ju suffered his first loss of the season with 3 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks and 2 runs in 6 innings. But he didn’t get help from the lineup, and he pitched well enough. The 2023 season started with 5 starts. 1 win 1 loss average ERA 1.64 in 2 games. It is a sign that his potential will burst in two years after his debut.
What is also meaningful about this game is that it was the first Gwangju appearance by Mun Dong-ju, a native of Gwangju. In the 2022 season, Moon Dong-ju could not even get on the mound against KIA in the first team. Of course, in the second team, he started the game on August 25 last year.
In other words, it means that the ‘Moon Kim Daejeon’ expected by baseball fans has not been accomplished yet. In fact, Moon Dong-ju suffered an injury to the oblique muscle in spring camp last year, and was unable to land softly in the first team with the opening. Later, when Moon Dong-joo recovered, Hanwha intended to give him a chance as a starter through the bullpen, but was frustrated again due to a partial tear in the subscapularis.
On the other hand, Kim Do-young was attached to the first team throughout the year, except for taking a break for about a month due to an injury to his palm while handling a batted ball for Juan Lagares in the SSG game in Gwangju on August 17 last year. Even though he was a backup, he has gained valuable experience and is ready to explode his potential this year. He was successfully adapting to the change of putting a bat upright on his shoulder and lowering it to his chest to shorten the time it took to reach the hitting point.
However, the day after the opening, on the 2nd, he injured his foot while digging into the home of the Incheon SSG match, and is undergoing surgery and is recovering. He can’t come back in the first half. If Doyoung Kim hadn’t been hurt that day, the first ever ‘Moongim Daejeon’ would have been held in Gwangju on the 12th.
In the summer of 2021, KIA chose Kim Do-young instead of Moon Dong-ju while playing for the first nomination. It was clear that both of them were big prospects that might come out once in 10 years. Still, I thought the second Lee Jong-beom was a bit more unique than the fastball pitcher.
Neither of them has shown anything good in the first team yet.토스카지노 This is the start. If Dong-ju Moon suffered from an injury last year, this year it is Do-yeong Kim. Oddly enough, the head-to-head matchup doesn’t work out. However, if Kim Do-yeong returns healthy in the second half and Moon Dong-joo is healthy and digests the starting rotation, there is a possibility of a confrontation in the second half.
Of course, as it is the future of KIA and Hanwha, a confrontation in good faith will happen at any time, even if it is not this year. That in itself is a blessing of the KBO League and a new sense of storytelling. And the two big prospects have a close relationship with the future of Korean baseball.