Steel Magic, known for rescuing veterans who have lost their way, is helping Choi Dong-hwan, who requested to be released from the LG Twins this year, to make a comeback. They have already identified the reasons for his release through spring camp and practice games, and now all that is left is to regain his former form during the regular season.
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul met with reporters at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 18th to discuss the progress of what is referred to as the "Choi Dong-hwan revival project."
Choi Dong-hwan graduated from Gyeongdong High School and was drafted 13th in the second round of the 2009 LG rookie draft. His career statistics in the first team include 344 games (0 starts), 10 wins, 6 losses, 4 saves, 16 holds, and an earned run average of 5.11 (368⅓ innings, 209 earned runs), and he struggled last season with a record of 1 loss, 2 holds, and an earned run average of 6.95 over 26 games.
Choi Dong-hwan, the '16-year one-club man' of the Twins, was classified as a released player during the team restructuring process on Oct. 7 last year. He requested to be released directly from the club to gain more playing opportunities and wandered between extending his career and retirement before finding a new nest at KT after two months. KT, under the unique insight and leadership of "pitching coach" Lee Kang-chul, has often helped pitchers recover after going through the pain of being released.
Choi Dong-hwan prepared for the 2025 season by heading to the first team spring camp set up in Geelong, Australia, and Okinawa, Japan. Under the systematic guidance of manager Lee Kang-chul and pitching coach Jae Chun-mo, he identified the causes of his struggles last year, and his impressive performance with an earned run average of 0 (3 innings, no runs) in three practice games raised expectations for his comeback. He delivered scoreless performances in 1 inning against the LG Twins on the 9th, the Kiwoom Heroes on the 11th, and the NC Dinos on the 14th.
What kind of magic has Steel Magic worked on Choi Dong-hwan? Manager Lee Kang-chul said, "(Choi) Dong-hwan has had a good forkball all along, but he has been throwing fastballs unnecessarily and got hit. The game would end before he even threw the forkball. Even our catchers felt that Dong-hwan was trying to throw the forkball at the end when he first came in." He added, "I told Dong-hwan, 'Holding back is useless. Why are you saving that? You should use it from the start.' He needs to change his mindset and start throwing the forkball from the beginning. He didn’t realize what he needed to do to survive all this time."
Manager Lee Kang-chul emphasized the need for a shift in thinking by comparing Choi Dong-hwan to reliable pitcher Kim Min-soo. He stated, "In Kim Min-soo’s case, he uses cutters and sliders effectively to get strikes. But Choi Dong-hwan throws that good forkball as a regular pitch. Knowing that a fastball is coming next, batters can easily hit him. I've tried to change that perception." He also added, "Anyway, he’s only throwing for 1 inning, so what’s the point of saving the forkball? I wouldn’t feel wronged if I got hit throwing a forkball."
Since his appointment in 2019, manager Lee Kang-chul has utilized veterans who were considered past their prime, such as Yoo Won-sang, Ahn Young-myung, Park Si-young, and Woo Kyu-min, to capitalize on their strengths during crucial moments, using them as the team's reliable pitchers. In Woo Kyu-min’s case, he made a comeback last year with 4 wins, 1 loss, 1 save, and 4 holds over 45 games with an earned run average of 2.49, and he signed a free-agent contract worth 700 million won over two years. Choi Dong-hwan has also expressed high expectations for the leadership of manager Lee Kang-chul, known as the "pitching coach," and now he only needs to continue the legacy of the resurrected veteran pitchers at KT.
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