"First real game, 146km bang!" No. 1 rookie Jung Hyun-woo enters the opening lineup, Jung Jo-joon said, "I will prepare well and meet the expectations."

"First real game, 146km bang!" No. 1 rookie Jung Hyun-woo enters the opening lineup, Jung Jo-joon said, "I will prepare well and meet the expectations."

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Jung Hyun-woo (19), a left-handed rookie pitcher of the Kiwoom Heroes in professional baseball, struggled in his first real game, but vowed to show better performance in his next appearance.스포츠토토

Chung Hyun-woo started a practice game against the Zhongxin Brothers in Taiwan's professional baseball league at CTBC Park in Pingtung County on the 20th and allowed two hits, two walks and two runs (one earned) in ⅔ innings.

Chung Hyeon-woo, who was hit by a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first inning, allowed a steal and a walk to the second base, putting him on the verge of first and second bases with no outs, and eventually gave up the first run with a timely RBI. Chung Hyeon-woo, who caught the first out count with a fly ball to the shortstop, gave up a steal to the third base, facing a crisis with one out and runners on the first and third bases. He then induced a ground ball that could be a double play, but second baseman Song Sung-moon committed a catch error, and all the runners survived and the third baseman came home. Chung Hyeon-woo, who had the bases loaded with two outs with a walk and a fly ball to center field, finished the inning regardless of the remaining out count as the two teams agreed before the game as the number of pitches approached 30 pitches.

With 27 pitches, Chung threw 21 fastballs, three curves, and three sliders. The maximum speed of fastballs was 146 kilometers per hour. As Chung started his first real game after joining the pro league, he failed to finish the first inning. He had a chance to end the inning with a double play, but it was regrettable that he made an error.

Chung Hyeon-woo said in an interview after the game, "It's my first match in the professional league, but I think it's just the same match. I'm just thinking positively. You have to experience a lot of things to get into the season and throw well. I'm a little nervous and I'm disappointed that it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but since it's already past, I think I have to prepare well for the next game."

Chung Hyun-woo was unlucky since the first batter. He induced the leadoff hitter to hit a ground ball to the third base, and the third baseman threw himself, but the hit narrowly passed by and became a hit. With runners on the first and third bases with one out, second baseman Song Sung-moon made a catch error, throwing away the opportunity to end the inning with a double play.

"I think the first hit was made by a good hit by a batter," Chung said. "I tried to get into the game quickly after the second strike, but the batter did well. I think I had no choice but to get a hit." He added, "[Song Sung-moon] said sorry after the inning. I told him it was okay."

After receiving disappointing results in his first appearance, Chung said, "I think the ball itself was okay. I was ahead of myself and started having problems in the control part. I think I can do better in the next game." On throwing the maximum 146 km on the day, Chung said, "I have to run 144 games now, but I haven't even started yet. I didn't have any greed to speed up because I played in my first game after pitching live. I think 146 km turned out a little faster."

Chung, who left outstanding performance in 29 games (101 ⅓ innings) in high school with 11 wins, 1 loss and 1.24 ERA, played for the national youth team at the Under-18 Baseball Championship held in Taipei, Taiwan in September last year, and played in two games (three ⅔ innings) with one loss and one save and 2.81 ERA. Thanks to his performance, Han joined Kiwoom as the top overall draft pick in 2025.

Chung Hyeon-woo, who received a down payment for the rookie of the year (500 million won), ranked third in the club's history, is expected to be one of the starting candidates for this season. Chung said, "I want to show good performances and join the starting lineup from the opening game. I need to do well, so I think I need to focus more on the rest of the game. I plan to increase the number of pitches and increase the number of innings. I think the most important thing for a starting pitcher is to extend the long innings, so I try to focus on that part."

"I'm working out together in the starting pitcher's group, but I don't have any routine as a starting pitcher yet, so I'm learning a lot from my seniors," said Chung Hyeon-woo. "I ask Kenny (Rosenberg) a lot and Yoon-ha (Kim) a lot. All the older brothers have their own routines. I'm learning a lot about them because I'm good at focusing on the exact schedule and what I need to prepare. First of all, I think I have to go back to Korea and have hands-on experience to create my own routine."

Chung, who feels both expectations and pressure as the rookie of the year, said, "Of course, I don't feel pressured, but I think I have to prepare well and live up to what you expect. I want to hurry up and start the exhibition game and the season. The biggest goal now is to enter the starting rotation of the opening lineup. I will think about my next goal after that."