“(Yang) Eui-ji told me to do a lot of analysis.”
Doosan Bears sidearm Choi Won-joon (29) felt deep regret after the end of last season. He challenged for 10 wins for three consecutive years following 10 wins in 2020 and 12 wins in 2021, but only 8 wins (13 losses) in 30 games. As Ariel Miranda (34), who had been the ace since the opening, left due to an injury, the responsibility of domestic ace Choi Won-joon increased more than expected. Even if he continued to match up with an opposing foreign pitcher, he endured well until the first half, but his pace fell in the second half as his physical strength increased.
Looking back on last season, Choi Won-joon said, “It’s unfortunate that the team didn’t do well when it was bad. When I was fighting for the top 5, I think I had a chance to win if I had endured well. My pace fell together, so I’m a starting pitcher who will endure. There was no. Physically, I think my motivation was ahead of me. The pace of 2021 was really good. I couldn’t find that pace, so I became in a hurry, and then it seems that I collapsed alone.”메이저놀이터
At the spring camp in Sydney, Australia, Choi Won-joon had a conversation with Yang Eui-ji (36), the new master and the best catcher in Korea, to find things to improve. Choi Won-joon worked together for a while until Yang Eui-ji moved to NC Dinos as a free agent in 2019, and had a battery at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This year, Yang Eui-ji signed a contract with Doosan for 15.2 billion won for 4+2 years and returned to Doosan, giving him a chance to work together again.
Choi Won-joon said, “I worked with Ui-hyung once or twice in 2018, and once again at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is definitely aggressive and has a firm style. I came to Australia first with Ui-hyung and talked a lot, He told me a lot of things to improve on, so I’m focusing on checking them.”
Yang Eui-ji advised Choi Won-joon to analyze his opponent a little more. Since he is a pitcher who has passed the stage where he simply needs to pay attention to pitch and control, put a little more weight on game management and opponent batter analysis.
Choi Won-joon said, “Lee Ji-hyung told me to do a lot of analysis, saying, ‘How will your ball work in the swing trajectory of the opponent’s batter?’ The hitter competes with a high ball. He told me to check the hitters a lot in this way. In the end, I have to be able to throw where I want to succeed, so I pay a lot of attention.”
This year, I hoped that the new foreign one-two punch Raul Alcantara (31) and Dylan Pyle (27) would keep their place. Choi Won-jun said, “In 2021, the walker rocket was running well, but when I went to the United States after elbow surgery, I felt a lot (that it was difficult). Last year, if I had Miranda, I think it would have worked a little better and would have been more comfortable. This year, Dylan looks good and I really look forward to it. Alcantara is a very proven player. Only (Kwak) Bin and I are well supported, and I think our team will be number one in selection,” he said with a smile.
The goal is to come back to live up to the modifier ‘domestic ace’. Choi Won-jun said, “I think the most important thing is to be consistent. I will throw more than 160 innings steadily and try to win more than 10 this year. Coach Lee Seung-yeop said about 13 wins. I feel reassured because I have the best catcher in Korea,” he said, promising to revive.