Hong Jeong-woo (27, Samsung Lions), who has passed through his mid-20s and is heading toward the latter half, seemed to have realized a lot in Futures (second team). Hong Jeong-woo, who says “It’s time to show”, is taking his new season as a leap year.
5 years in the 1st group only. Although last year was a career high season, he only played 26 games and 26⅔ innings. Hong Jung-woo is determined to become a key player in the first team by demonstrating his presence before it is too late.
There is one thing that I focus on the most. It is ‘mental’. He had a heavy fast ball in the mid-140 km range and a sharp splitter, but the criticism around him that he could hardly show his skills in the first team made him change.
Hong Jung-woo said, “It doesn’t mean that all hits are hit, but in a tight situation, I tried to be more careful on the mound and threw more perfectly, so I was stopped there and I couldn’t throw my ball and regretted it repeatedly.” Giving points or going down after not being able to throw is the same thing, so I changed my mind to throw without regret on the mound.”
Jeongwoo Hong, Samsung. /Photo = Samsung Lions
Of course, it is not easy. He said, “If I go up again, it doesn’t work well. Still, I try to force myself to continue and throw more leisurely. I think mentality is really important for this.” If you throw it with the thought of eating the batter, even the same 140 km ball will be a foul. I thought about that a lot when I went down this time.”
Hearing advice from coaches and seniors, “Why do you keep making it difficult when you have a good ball?” was the moment that changed my mind.안전놀이터
The splitter is Hong Jung-woo’s most confident weapon. But lately he couldn’t even throw it at will. Hong Jung-woo said, “This year’s record is not good, but at the beginning of the season, I count with a fork ball or use a deciding ball, but this year it did not work well.” There is a reason. In the forkball, the fingers are widened in a V shape to draw a large drop, but the angle is narrowed to increase the speed of the ball. He said, “I’ve been feeling a little weird since then, so I’m trying a lot to find it.”
He had a firm belief in choice and concentration. When asked about the slider he uses with his fastball and forkball, he said, “I’m researching a lot to throw it. Still, the slider is a pitch that I can throw to some extent, but I’m most confident in the splitter that I can throw with certainty, so I have to make it perfect again.” did.
In the NC Dinos away game on the 19th, Hong Jung-woo, who climbed the mound from 1 out 3 base in the top of the 8th inning, when the team was chased 5-4, earned the first hold of the season by turning veteran Son A-seop on a shortstop ground ball and Park Min-woo striking out on a miss. did. Following the KIA Tigers match on the 17th, it is a scoreless pitch for two consecutive games.
On this day, the deciding ball was a forkball. Son Ah-seop threw a first pitch forkball to tie up the runner on third base, and Park Min-woo caught the count with a powerful fastball and turned it around with a splitter that fell sharply near home plate.
We also asked about their thoughts on the sweeper, which is currently in vogue. He said, “Coach Tabata of the 2nd team was there, so I asked him, and he told me. It would be better to make it more perfect,” he explained.
what is the goal “Every year in an interview, I said that my goal is to play in many games, but now I am not young. It is good to play a lot, but I think it is time to show a little bit,” he said. I want to give it to you. I’m going to play a few games and try to go that way rather than this.”