At Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, he threw a 154 km fastball decisively. Jung Woo-joo (19), a 'fireballer' chosen by the Hanwha Eagles as the overall second pick in the first round of professional baseball, started his unofficial first game at Daejeon Shin-Gyu Stadium on a positive note.

Jung appeared as a relief in the seventh inning during an internal blue and white game held at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on 6th. He struck out lead-off hitter Song Ho-jeong on three consecutive fastballs. Jung then also struck out the next batter, Shin Woo-jae, on three pitches, succeeding with a looking strikeout after getting two swinging strikes with fastballs and stealing the timing with a slider.

He induced a ground ball to shortstop with a first pitch fastball against Heo Gwan-hwa and finished the inning in an instant with just seven pitches. He threw six fastballs and one slider. According to TrackMan, the maximum fastball speed registered at 154 km/h, with an average speed of 153 km/h.

The most impressive were the two looking strikeouts. He had shown some inconsistency in control during spring training games, but that day he focused on attacking the strike zone. Both his fastball and slider entered the zone, confirming their use as effective pitches.

Jung said, “I had memories of not doing well during spring camp, and I felt that I needed to improve a lot while playing. During camp, my control with off-speed pitches was poor, and my tempo was slow, making it hard to perform. Changing my mindset seems to have started fitting together little by little, which I am satisfied with,” adding, “I felt a lack of confidence during camp, but I approached it with the mindset of having fun and enjoying it like I did in high school.”

Jung recorded 4 innings, 7 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs in five actual games during his spring camp in Australia and Okinawa, Japan. He allowed runs in three out of the five games. His fastball was quick, but the quality of his off-speed pitches was lacking, and he found himself issuing walks due to getting fouled off by batters, leading to a higher pitch count. There was a strong desire to show something as a first-round rookie.

Jung recalled, “When I was called 'Jung Woo-joo' during my first appearance in Australia, I was thrilled to hear the fans cheering,” adding, “I felt like I couldn’t meet the expectations of the fans. Seeing fellow rookies like (Kwon) Min-kyu and other seniors pitching well, I was eager to do well too. I regretted that my ambition may have hindered my performance, feeling too ahead of myself.”

However, he is quickly overcoming growing pains. After finishing with 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, and no runs in an inning in the final actual game of camp against SSG on 2nd, he delivered strong performances in two consecutive games up to this internal blue and white game. Regarding the noticeable increase in strikeouts, Jung explained, “As my control got better, it seems batters began making contact more, which contributed to the results following my adjustments.”

In the early camp, he focused on refining his curve, but later shifted more emphasis on the slider. Jung explained, “I originally only threw curves, but Coach Yang Sang-moon taught me a lot about sliders. I feel more comfortable controlling sliders, so I continue to practice them.” With Jung’s great power, having even one usable off-speed pitch would make him competitively viable in the first team.

Having started his debut season at the newly opened Hanwha Life Ballpark, Jung expressed, “The two-tier bullpen is fantastic. The mound suits my pitching style perfectly, so I’m glad. The locker room is very luxurious. I walked through the stands on my way to work, and it feels a little more grand than Hanbat Stadium, with a clear view that I think fans will enjoy.”

To keep pitching in such a great baseball park, he needs to survive in the first team. The exhibition games starting on 8th will be the final audition stage. Drawing on his experiences from camp, Jung vowed, “I won’t try to do anything more; I will maintain what’s going well while considering areas for improvement. I will show the fans a spirited performance.”

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