The recent influx of KT fans must have missed my starting game, right? I want to show you why people came for me during the injury break this season."메이저놀이터
Instead of reviving, he wanted to prove his goal. Right-hander Cho Hyung-joon kept this in mind throughout the spring camp, focusing on every ball and every balance. Fruits of hard work are blooming every game in the 2025 season that they are facing each other.
Finally, he is back. It was the first day in 1,191 days that he pitched seven innings. Playing his second game of the season, Cho took the mound in an away game against SSG, the regular league of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, at the Landers Field in Incheon on Sunday, and pitched a perfect pitching of five hits, no outs, and no strikeouts during seven innings.
He displayed impressive play by making double plays whenever he could shake. In addition, he pitched just 10.7 pitches per inning. On the day, he pitched fastballs (41 pitches), cutters (22 pitches), change-ups (9 pitches), and curves (3 pitches) to effectively cook the SSG batters. His pitches reached the maximum speed of 147 kilometers per hour.
Although he did not have a relationship with the winning pitcher, Dae-jun's presence on the mound was thick. He has made his first professional debut by becoming the Rookie of the Year in 2020. He has been on a roll at the forefront of the Wizards. In his first year as a member of the Wizards, he had 13 wins and 6 losses with an ERA of 3.86 (57 earned runs in 133 innings), and has been a pillar of the Korean starting lineup.
However, he sometimes dropped his head due to an unexpected injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery two years ago. After rehabilitation, he joined the first team as a bullpen pitcher in September last year. Throughout the 2024 season, national teams have also played as bullpen pitchers.
Cho's position is truly remarkable. He went through countless tempering efforts to make a perfect comeback ahead of this season. Meeting Cho at the spring camp, he seemed to have high expectations rather than fear. "I want to show my fans who I was as soon as possible," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
It is a legendary 虛傳. Even after entering the regular league, he had no walks and no walks (two games and seven innings), and posted quality starts (QS: more than six innings and three earned runs or less).
Moreover, the quality pitching at the match against SSG on Sunday is all the more meaningful. He will play seven innings for the first time since the game against Doosan Bears, which had a showdown at home Suwon on Sept. 28, 2022. Above all, Cho's 2025 season has just begun. His footsteps feel cheerful. It is a moment when KT fans are convinced that they can trust the three letters "So.Hyung.Jun" again, and the opposing team has one more name to watch out for.