Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) is famous for throwing the fastest forkball in the world. He made headlines on April 2, 2022, when he threw a 151 km/h forkball against the Nippon Ham Fighters while with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball. At the time, Nippon Ham batter Renato Nunez swung and missed at Yamamoto's forkball, which dropped sharply as it approached. It surprised everyone with its high-speed forkball, faster than the fastballs of most pitchers.

However, it appeared that an even faster forkball had emerged in Korea. This misunderstanding was created by the incredible ability of Hanwha Eagles' fireballer Dong-Ju Moon (22).

On the 14th, Dong-Ju Moon made a relief appearance in the bottom of the sixth inning in a spring game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. He struck out three batters while pitching a perfect game without allowing any runs over two innings. Following his first real game since a shoulder injury on the 11th against SSG, he threw fastballs at a top speed of 159 km/h for the second consecutive game.

Another topic of discussion was the forkball. On that day, Moon struck out Choi Hang, Ko Seung-Min, and Victor RAY with swinging strikeouts, all using his forkball as the decisive pitch. Since the latter half of last year, he has been effectively using the forkball as his primary weapon, drawing batters' swings at fast pitches.

Among them, the forkball thrown when he struck out Ko Seung-Min shocked fans greatly. The speed displayed on the TV broadcast was 153 km/h. Although it was noted as a fastball in text broadcasts, the pitch's movement was characteristic of a forkball. Even in TV replays, Moon threw with a forkball grip using his index and middle fingers apart. However, as the speed was recorded at 153 km/h, a reasonable inference arose that Moon must have thrown a 153 km/h forkball.

To conclude, it was a mechanical error. The pitch measured by the Hanwha club was a 136 km/h forkball. The pitching analysis provided by the Lotte club showed that the speed of the forkball peaked at 138 km/h, with an average of 136 km/h. There was no 153 km/h forkball.

Although it wasn't some cartoonish pitching, Moon's performance on that day was impressive enough. His fastball reached a top speed of 159 km/h and an average of 155 km/h. For some unknown reason, a mechanical error occurred, and fans enchanted by Moon's otherworldly fastball had no choice but to misunderstand it as a '153 km/h forkball.'

On April 12, 2023, during the game against KIA in Gwangju, Moon threw at a speed of 160.1 km/h, becoming the first domestic pitcher to join the 'official 160 km/h' club. Last year, he struggled with shoulder pain and did not show his best form. Ultimately, due to unresolved shoulder discomfort, he finished the season a month early in early September.

During the winter, Moon diligently focused on rehabilitation and gradually built his pace without overexerting himself during spring training. On the last day of camp, he performed live pitching while facing batters, marking his first real game pitch in the spring games. On the 11th against SSG, he pitched at a top speed of 159.7 km/h, making his six-month absence from actual games unnoticeable. Manager Kim Kyung-Moon praised him, saying, "His arm swing was better than when he was good at the end of last year. It was almost the best thing I have seen."

After taking two days off, Moon again threw a 159 km/h fastball in the game against Lotte. He increased his inning count by throwing 19 pitches in the first outing and 28 pitches in the second outing, smoothly progressing through the buildup process. Not only has his fastball improved, but his command of off-speed pitches like forkballs and sliders has also become better, enhancing his overall pitching quality. Even if his fastball command wavers a bit, he can still throw strikes with his off-speed pitches.

After the game, Moon said, "I completed my first multi-inning outing, and I want to focus on the fact that it seems like I'm preparing well. The speed is coming out better than I expected. I think it's thanks to the good preparation from the offseason to the camp," and added, "I still don't have perfect game sense, but I plan to focus on throwing more strikes in my next outing to improve my feel."

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