LG Twins coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop instantly drew attention to a third-year pitcher in this demonstration game.
Head coach Yeom selected right-handed pitcher Kang Hyo-jong (22) as the 5th starting pitcher this season ahead of an exhibition game against kt Wiz on the 23rd, and evaluated, “There is a high possibility that he will grow into an (ace) pitcher like Yoon Seok-min and Bae Young-soo in our team.”
Manager Yeom cited Kang Hyo-jong’s greatest strengths as his control and rotational speed. Director Yeom said, “Kang Hyo-jong has a good arm angle. He can clearly distinguish between the inside and outside of the body. The elbow and arm angles are good, so the wrist angle is unlikely to change.” did not spare
As if to repay coach Yeom’s expectations, Kang Hyo-jong made two starts in demonstration games and is fighting hard with an ERA of 1.29, 5 hits (1 home run), 7 strikeouts, 3 walks and 1 run in 7 innings. In the first team after his joining, he came out as a substitute starter in one game last year and recorded 1 win, 5 innings, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 4 walks and 2 runs.
Kang Hyo-jong, whom we met at the Gocheok Dome on the 25th, said, “I’ve always wanted to be in the starting rotation since the off-season, but it’s nice to be able to do it. I think I’ve filled the first button. (During the off-season), I thought it would be nice if the 5th starter story came out.”
Regarding the number of spins that became a hot topic, Kang Hyo-jong said, “At first I didn’t care because I wasn’t familiar with the data, but I became a pro and continued to watch it, and it became fun. Hearing that the number of revolutions is above average gives me confidence when dealing with batters.”
Continuing the story, Kang Hyo-jong said, “I especially improved my curve. Last summer, Senior Choi Dong-hwan taught me a curve grip, and after I threw it like that, the rotation speed increased by 400 RPM,” adding that he thanked pitcher Dong-hwan Choi. 스포츠토토
Aside from the number of spins, the advantage he wants to appeal to is his pitching. He picked Yoon Seok-min (former KIA) and Darvish Yu (San Diego) as role models. I want to show that I can fight,” he said.
Kang Hyo-jong, who suffered from residual injuries for two years after joining as the first nomination in 2021, said, “I received a lot of help from my family. Because of you, I was able to gain more confidence than negative thoughts when I was in the second group, when I was having a hard time and felt like I couldn’t.”
Kang Hyo-jong said, “I originally had a bad shoulder, but now I’m throwing well without any pain. I want to play one season without injury. I want to throw consistently without missing the starting rotation because of an injury.”
Lastly, “I came in as the 1st nomination, so I couldn’t show a good performance. Now, I want to spend a season where I get good grades and imprint my name on the fans like the 1st nomination. I hope I can,” he promised fans.