Hanwha Eagles' super rookie Jung Woo-joo (19) made a strong impression in his debut, throwing a top speed of 155 km/h fastball.
On the 23rd, Jung made his debut in the second game of the season against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park, showing a perfect inning with one strikeout and no runs allowed.
Trailing 3-4, Jung took the mound as the team's third pitcher in the bottom of the eighth after Lee Tae-yang. It was the moment when the debut of the newly joined super rookie in the Eagles was realized.
Jung faced the lead-off hitter Kim Min-hyuk in a tenacious battle that lasted until the ninth pitch, but induced a flyout to center field with a 155 km/h fastball. He then got Jang Sung-woo to hit a ground ball to the shortstop and struck out Moon Sang-cheol on three pitches, completing a clean three-up, three-down inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, tied 4-4, Jung handed the baton to Park Sang-won after throwing 17 pitches in one inning. He threw 12 strikes compared to 5 balls, and in addition to 14 fastballs at a top speed of 155 km/h, he included a curveball (1) and sliders (2) to achieve a successful debut.
Jung gained recognition as a high school pitcher who could throw a top speed of 156 km/h during his time at Jeonju High School. Last year, he recorded a fine performance with 5 wins and 1 loss, an earned run average of 1.31 over 19 games, pitching 54⅔ innings while striking out 94 batters and allowing only 21 walks. Thanks to this, he was selected by Hanwha with the second overall pick in the 2025 rookie draft and signed a professional contract for 500 million won.
As the top prospect expected by the club and fans, Jung headed to the first-team spring camp in Australia and Japan to prepare for his debut season. He then entered the exhibition games, showcasing a top speed of 154 km/h with no earned run average in 3 games with one hold, fulfilling his dream of making the opening roster.
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon noted the day before regarding Jung's use, saying, "I want to see him comfortably get in and compete against seniors when we are behind." He added, "I plan to let him gain experience in a less burdensome situation rather than being in the key bullpen. Since he has talent, starting to compete with first team players in a chasing role could allow him to gain confidence and we do not know how he will change in the future," and on that day succeeded in impressing the veteran.
After the game, Jung stated, "I was actually quite nervous since it was my debut, but my seniors encouraged me a lot. Especially, senior Lee Jae-won told me not to be nervous and led me well. I could throw comfortably as per senior Lee Jae-won's guidance. I also want to express my gratitude to the manager, coaches, and numerous seniors who took care of me, especially with the first out count and first Samjin pitch. I want to grow into a player who helps the team win in any situation."
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