159.7 km.

Professional baseball Hanwha Eagles pitcher Moon Dong-ju drew the spotlight with an exceptional fastball speed in his first appearance in the spring training. He recorded a top speed of 159.7 km. This speed was recorded in mid-March during the spring training.

The record for the highest speed ever recorded by a domestic pitcher in the KBO League is held by Moon Dong-ju. Moon Dong-ju threw 160.1 km against KIA in Gwangju on April 12, 2023, setting the record for the highest speed by a local player. Fans are looking forward to the day Moon Dong-ju, who hit 159.7 km in his first spring training appearance, breaks his own record.

On the 11th, Moon Dong-ju took the mound in the 6th inning during the 2025 KBO League spring training game against SSG at Incheon SSG Landers Field, leading 8-0. Before the game, Manager Kim Kyung-moon noted, "Moon Dong-ju will go out in the 6th inning today."

Moon Dong-ju threw powerful fastballs from the start of his warmup pitches, indicating something remarkable was about to happen. The speed of his final warmup pitch was displayed as 158 km, and cheers erupted from the stands.

Moon Dong-ju threw a 153 km fastball to lead-off hitter Eredia and a 155 km fastball on the second pitch. After showcasing two fastballs, he caught Eredia off-guard with a 142 km slider for a pop-up out to left field. Against Han Yu-seom, he induced a foul and a swing and miss with consecutive 157 km fastballs on the second and third pitches. He struck out with a swing and miss on the sixth pitch, hitting 157 km, impressing the crowd.

After two outs, the speed of his third pitch registered at 159 km on the scoreboard. It was the fastest pitch of the day. Following that, he allowed a walk as the 158 km and 155 km fastballs turned into balls. With two outs and one runner on first base, he threw three breaking balls against Park Ji-hwan, capturing a strikeout with a slider (137 km), a curveball (124 km), and another slider (136 km) to end the inning.

On that day, Moon Dong-ju's top speed was 160 km. Hanwha stated, "Moon Dong-ju's top speed of 160 km was rounded from 159.7 km according to TrackMan standards."

Before the game, Manager Kim Kyung-moon, who had predicted Moon Dong-ju's 6th inning appearance, smiled and said, "Don't have high expectations." Moon Dong-ju, who ended last season early due to a shoulder injury in September, is slowly regaining his physical condition after undergoing rehabilitation during the offseason. They tried to lessen the burden by using him as a reliever in his first spring training appearance.

Moon Dong-ju threw a fastball of 159.7 km, which was not much different from his personal best speed. He threw eight fastballs, with an average speed of 157 km. He appeared to be in good physical condition.

After the game, Moon Dong-ju said, "I really pitched in a real game for the first time in a long time, and I feel satisfied that I threw well and healthily rather than focusing on the speed. I felt a bit excited since it was my first pitching in a long time, but I feel that if my game sense comes back a little more, there will be no major issues. I want to return to the starting lineup as soon as possible and help the team, and I will work hard to repay the fans who always support me."

Manager Kim Kyung-moon said, "He is trying hard this year to overcome the disappointment from last year. Once he recovers completely, he will become a significant asset this year."

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