The unofficial first home run at the new home stadium of the professional baseball Hanwha Eagles, Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, was a grand slam. On the 6th, first baseman Kwon Gwang-min (28) became the owner of the first home run at the new stadium with a grand slam that went over the right-center field fence during a self-organized blue-white game against the Futures team.

Kwon Gwang-min's home run caught attention as he attacked a fastball pitched at 153 km/h. The pitcher who threw this ball was right-handed Won Jong-hyuk (20), a second-year pitcher who joined Hanwha in the 9th round, 81st overall, last year, coming from Guri Inchang High School.

From the result of the game that day, it was like a nightmare for Won Jong-hyuk. After giving up a double that went over the left fielder's head to leadoff hitter Lee Jin-young in the 6th inning, he turned Kim Tae-yeon into a ground ball to the shortstop but allowed Lee Won-seok to have an infield hit, putting runners on base. He then walked Moon Hyun-bin after a full count, filling the bases, and the next batter Kwon Gwang-min connected with a fastball thrown down the middle to hit a home run.

Won Jong-hyuk, who allowed a walk and a stolen base to Hwang Young-mook, managed to get Lim Jong-chan to hit a ground ball to second base, but then in the at-bat of Lee Jae-won, he gave up an additional run due to a wild pitch. After giving up a single to Lee Jae-won and a walk to Yidoon, he handed the mound over to Kim Jong-soo with two outs and runners on first and second. He threw 39 pitches, with a similar ratio of strikes (20) to balls (19).

Kim Jong-soo struck out Choi In-ho, ending the 6th inning without allowing any additional runs. Won Jong-hyuk's performance that day was ⅔ innings, 4 hits allowed (1 home run), 3 walks, and 5 earned runs. The result was disappointing, but he clearly showed his strengths against first-team hitters. According to TrackMan measurements, Won Jong-hyuk's velocity reached a maximum of 156 km/h that day. He threw 24 fastballs, with an average speed up to 152 km/h, demonstrating consistency.

At 184 cm and 92 kg, Won Jong-hyuk is a solidly built power pitcher type, hurling heavy balls in the mid to high 140 km/h range since his high school days. Despite his velocity dropping as the season progressed during his senior year and his draft ranking falling to the 9th round, Hanwha chose him as an unrefined gem with future potential.

Last year, he recorded 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 hold with a 9.53 earned run average in 17 games (17 innings) in the Futures League, striking out 12 batters. His control was greatly shaken with 14 walks (9 walks, 5 hit by pitches), but he raised his velocity to the 150 km/h range. With systematic training in the professional league, he became stronger.

This year, he consistently threw fastballs at speeds up to 154 km/h during the Futures Camp held in Kochi, Japan, and continued to perform well in practice games. He also seized an opportunity to pitch in the blue-white game against the first team that day, showcasing hidden potential by throwing a maximum of 156 km/h. In terms of velocity, he is on par with Hanwha's top assets, the 'fireballer trio' of Moon Dong-joo, Kim Seo-hyun, and Jung Woo-joo.

Of course, a pitcher cannot be evaluated solely by the speed of the ball. No matter how fast the ball is, it is useless if the control is lost. It is also necessary to have at least one well-developed off-speed pitch that can lure the batters' bats. That day, after two strikes, Won Jong-hyuk found himself in unfavorable situations, either being cut with fouls or throwing balls. With his control shaky on his two pitches, fastballs and sliders (15 pitches), he struggled to face first-team batters.

There is a lot to improve in various ways, but he is still just twenty years old. He has nothing to lose. While he had a harsh initiation in the new stadium, it can be a valuable experience for his future baseball career. Although he couldn't last an inning, the 156 km/h fastball is a talent that cannot be easily taught. A new promising player has emerged in Hanwha's 'fireballer corps', where hard-throwing pitchers have been consistent since the 2020s. This is potential that cannot be easily secured after being chosen in the later rounds.

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