A hitter with a career batting average of .201 and 2.02 has stood tall as a top bullpen in the league with an ERA of 1 point (1.96) in his fourth year as a pitcher. For Joo Hyun-sang (31), who was an ordinary infielder, changing his position to a pitcher was truly a godsend and a turnaround in his life.
The fact that Hanwha was able to get out of last place for the first time in four years cannot be explained without mentioning the phenomenon. This season, he played 59⅔ innings in 55 games and had a career-high season with 2 wins, 2 losses, 12 holds, an ERA of 1.96, 45 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 0.84. Among 105 pitchers who have pitched more than 50 innings, only two, LG Ham Deok-ju (1.62) and Joo Hyeon-sang, have an ERA in the 1-point range.
Joo Hyun-sang said, “I’ve never had an ERA in the 1-point range before, so it’s a new feeling. “It’s a record I couldn’t have imagined when I first started pitching,” he said. “There were bad times at the beginning of the season, but I think going back to the beginning and giving up my greed served as a stepping stone to good results. He said, “I had a lot of luck, and I prepared hard and got good results.”
The season didn’t start well. On April 2, in the game against Gocheok Kiwoom, he was sent down to the 2nd team after 3 games, including a walk in the 9th inning. He returned to the first team in mid-May, but again had to go down after three games. He went to the second-team not once, but twice, for the first time since 2021 when he became a first-team pitcher. He may have been frustrated by repeated poor performance, but he did not give up and regrouped.
In the Futures team, Joo Hyun-sang focused on increasing his extension and putting force on the tip of the ball. On June 15, he returned to the first team and became a completely different pitcher, going 13 games and 15 consecutive scoreless innings. He pitched consistently well for five consecutive months in June (0.00), July (0.930), August (2.84), September (2.03), and October (0.00), lowering his ERA to 1 point. A sure-to-win team that the team must not be without. , established himself as a bullpen ace. Joo Hyun-
sang said, “I had a lot of walks at the beginning of the season. I was too greedy to catch the batter perfectly, so the game went on for a long time. After I came back to the first team, I tried to throw my pitches and win games quickly, regardless of the result. “He explained the change. The average speed of fastballs is also increasing every year in 2021 (141.9 km), 2022 (143.2 km), and this year (144.km). He showed off his prowess by recording a maximum speed of 151 km several times.
Joo Hyun-sang said, “Because I throw a lot of balls, my arm speed is maintained well.” In his fourth year as a pitcher, he has become a pitcher’s arm and his velocity is increasing. As his fastball power continued to improve, he developed to the point where he could overwhelm his opponents with fastballs and sliders to pitches. Joo Hyun-sang, who reduced the proportion of changeups, said, “I throw a lot of sliders regardless of whether I am a left or right hitter. “It seems like hitters are having a hard time because there are cutter balls,” he said.
Hyeonsang Joo was not originally a pitcher. He went through Cheongju High School and Dong-A University and was selected as an infielder by Hanwha with the 64th overall pick in the 2nd 7th round in 2015. He was recognized for his stable third base defense and played 103 first-team games in his first year of debut. He also became a hot topic by wearing his catcher’s mask twice when in a hurry. However, the following year, his role was reduced as he played in 15 games, and he was absent for a while due to military service. Meanwhile, an outstanding prospect named Noh Si-hwan joined Hanwha’s third base, and Joo Hyun-sang’s position in the team, who returned in August 2019, was narrowed.
At that time, at the recommendation of pitching coach Jeong Min-tae, who noticed Joo Hyun-sang’s strong shoulders, he put down the bat and climbed onto the mound. Coach Jeong Min-tae, who is currently a SPOTV commentator, said, “When throwing from third base to first base, the ball flew fast and powerful. He thought that with that level of speed, he could do well as a pitcher. “I could have been in a situation where I had to quit because my competitiveness as a fielder was low,” he recalled. Joo Hyun-sang had a weak bat, with a batting average of .201 200 (47 hits in 222 at-bats), no home runs, and 12 RBIs in 118 games with the first team.
Pitcher Joo Hyun-sang, who appeared in the first team starting in 2021 after being trained as a pitcher in the Futures League in the first year of 2020, has been reborn as a key bullpen player by pitching more than 50 innings in 40 games for three consecutive years. Joo Hyun-sang smiled and said, “I did a good job of pitching,” and then added, “Coach Jeong Min-tae said, ‘It would be nice if I pitched,’ even before I went to the military. He expressed his gratitude, saying, “Even these days, I say hello every time he comes to give commentary.”
Although he did not shine as a fielder, receiving harsh defensive criticism during the time of manager Kim Seong-geun is also an unforgettable memory. Joo Hyun-sang, who recalled, “I had a hard time back then,” added, “Even when I was a fielder, I liked throwing the ball. He received a hit at third base and repeatedly threw hard and hard to first base, so his speed developed quickly. “I think all of those things have had an impact to this day.” 토토사이트
Joo Hyun-sang, who gave himself 95 points this season despite having an ERA in the 1-point range, said, “It’s unfortunate that things weren’t so good in the beginning. Next year, I want to continue my good form from the start of the season. He said, “I will prepare my body well in the off-season so that I can perform better than this year.”