151km bam already! If we didn't trade the 'bulpens FA' biggest fish, it would be dizzying..."It's going to get better." Can Shim Jae-hak be a "God's move"
151km bam already! If we didn't trade the 'bulpens FA' biggest fish, it would be dizzying..."It's going to get better." Can Shim Jae-hak be a "God's move"
Blog Article
What if Cho was not with the Kia Tigers at this point in time? Just thinking about it gives me dizziness. The trade that brought Cho Sang-woo, who was expected to be the biggest fish in the bullpen FA last winter, is seen as a sign of the team's trust. KIA succeeded in stabilizing the bullpen by banking on its strong pitching in the seventh inning with Jeon Sang-hyeon, the eighth inning with Cho Sang-woo and the ninth inning with Jung Hae-young.온라인카지노
KIA has not been able to display its prowess as a defending champion in the early days of this season. As "League MVP" Kim Do-young left the mound due to a hamstring injury, evil spirit of string injury came to his side. On the mound, left-hander Kwak Do-gyu, who grew into a key bullpen last year, was ruled out for the season due to elbow injury and surgery.
While the bullpen also showed an unstable trend at the beginning of the season, Cho Sang-woo's recent rebound has restored stability.
Cho Sang-woo wore a KIA uniform in December last year in exchange for 1 billion won in cash and the first and fourth round nominations for rookies in 2026.
Cho Sang-woo pitched in 44 games (39.2 innings) in the 2024 season, when he returned from military service last year, recording a 3.18 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and 20 walks with one loss, six saves and nine holds. After returning to Korea last year, Cho's average fastball speed also declined slightly to 145.5km/h amid a trend of declining overall detailed indicators. Some were concerned about the outcome of the trade over his recent form rather than his name value.
However, Cho Sang-woo has regained stability with a 1.38 ERA, 17 strikeouts, six walks, and WHIP 1.31 in 15 games (13 innings) this season.
In particular, Cho Sang-woo threw a 151km/h fastball for the first time this season against the Gwangju LG Twins on the 27th. Cho Sang-woo, who took the mound amid a one-point lead in the top of the eighth inning, gave a walk to leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki after a full count match, but induced Kim Hyun-soo to ground out to the first base and struck out Austin swinging. Cho Sang-woo set aside a hold without losing a point by holding Moon Bo-kyung to the second base.
Cho Sang-woo, who met reporters after the game on Tuesday, said, "It is regrettable that I went up to the eighth inning and gave up a walk after trying hard not to win right away at Hong Chang-ki's at-bat. At the Austin batter's box, I felt like I was aiming for a breaking ball, so I asked him to go for a fastball, but the result came out well," adding, "I didn't pay much attention to the speed of my pitches." It's not that I can't catch batters just because I didn't have enough speed. Still, I feel that the balance is getting better little by little, so I'm encouraged," he said.
Cho Sang-woo is playing the role of setup man in the eighth inning, as the Tigers' undisputed closer, Jung Hae-young. "Team victory is more important than personal record. I don't think much about saving records because I kept throwing them regardless of my position after joining the pro league. It's the same if I go out and block well in any inning," Cho stressed.
Cho started a season under heavy pressure as a trade transfer and a preliminary FA. However, Cho said, "A FA is something to think about after the season is over. I am not aware of it now because I will catch up with them once I get through the full-time season without getting sick," Cho said. "I was heartbroken because everyone was in bad shape at the beginning of the season. But now I am getting the ball that I thought of. I believe my physical condition and ball power will improve as I play the season."
Lastly, Jo Sang-woo said, "I was a little worried about adapting after the trade, but I'm living a comfortable life because everyone took good care of me in a very comfortable atmosphere. I am especially close to (Lee) Woosung," adding, "I have a good life in Gwangju, but I don't think people recognize me that much outside (laughs). I'm very worried that I'll gain too much weight because Gwangju food is really delicious," he said with a smile.