He did not perform as well as he expected, but he is still learning a lot. This is the story of left-hander Hwang Jun-seo of the Hanwha Eagles.메이저사이트
Hwang Joon-seo, who was selected by Hanwha as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft held in September last year, drew attention for his extraordinary talent and was expected to help Hanwha’s mound from the first season.
Hwang Jun-seo, who first came to the first division on March 30, a week after the opening of the regular season, started against the KT Wiz in Daejeon on March 31, his professional debut, and won the game with one run in five innings. Since then, he has played as a bullpen, and has been in the starting rotation since late April, surviving the first-team competition until the end of June.
However, he struggled a little, failing to fill five innings in all three starting games in June, and left a regret in July when he played as a bullpen pitcher. Eventually, Hanwha sent Hwang Joon-seo to the second division ahead of the match against the Daejeon KIA Tigers on the 2nd.
“I’ve been watching the game the whole time, and both Hwang and Cho Dong-wook (which was canceled together) seem to still feel a little unfamiliar with the bullpen,” Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said at the time. “I decided to adjust the entry because I thought I should go to the second division and gain experience by throwing more balls as starters.” The head coach thought Hwang needed time to take the starting class.
As the head coach planned, Hwang started the Futures Summer League against KT on Thursday and checked his physical condition. He pitched 47 times, and his performance was two hits, one out, six strikeouts and two runs (one earned run). However, Hwang soon returned to the top team. The Hanwha Eagles put Hwang in the top team along with pitcher Jang Si-hwan ahead of the match against the Munhak SSG Landers on Wednesday, informing Kim Ki-joong and Jang Ji-soo of their advance to the second team.
Hwang was on standby in the bullpen at the game against SSG from Friday to Sunday, and ended the three consecutive games without an appearance. With the team planning to take the mound in a relaxed environment for the time being, the head coach believes that gaining experience is more important. Hwang’s previous appearance in the first division was against the Suwon KT Wiz (⅔ innings) on Sunday.
When asked about Hwang before the game on Wednesday, Kim said, “Baseball has its own rhythm. I haven’t pitched in a few games since I started the starting class, but I think I should use (Hwang) in a more comfortable situation. If I keep throwing, it’s okay, but I hope I can throw the ball without feeling any pressure from now on.”
“If the team or the players themselves raise their confidence (while taking the mound in a comfortable situation), they will raise it in a close game. For now, I think it would be better to send Hwang Joon-seo out when I feel more comfortable,” he added.
Some players, including Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan Bears), stand out from the first year of joining the team. Hanwha also expects such performance from rookie players, but it also tries to take it step by step while looking further as it has enough time.