A man who has taken the mound more than 1,000 times in 21 years since his debut in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) league in 2004. Cheol-wan (鐵腕) has played the most as a KBO league pitcher and the most as an Asian pitcher in a single league. Jung Woo-ram (aged 39) who debuted as a left-hander for the Incheon SK Wyverns (current SSG Landers) in 2004 and is currently the playing coach for the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles.
In the cold professional world, while interviewing the pitcher who was constantly called by the manager and threw the ball for the team, the exclamation of “great” came out naturally. He retired but still met with his juniors at the Hanwha Eagles 2nd Army Training Center in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do on the 23rd.
Jung played in just two games in the first division during his debut season. Since then, he has played in the second division under harsh conditions. His debut match was against Hanwha, his current team. I still vividly remember taking the mound as a relief pitcher in Munhak on April 21, 2004. “I threw in Munhak, and even though I didn’t give a point, I dealt with multiple batters,” Jung recalled. During two ⅓ innings, he faced eight batters and gave up two walks. Starting with this, Jung started as a special entry in the first division for his retirement game on September 29, 2024, and played 1,005 times until he faced one batter. Even Jung Woo-ram, who was a rookie, never imagined that he would take charge of 977 ⅓ for 21 years.
He completely woke up in his second year as a pro. He pitched in more than 50 games on average every season during his military service (2013-2014 season) including 59 games in 2005 and 82 games in 2006, and 18 seasons excluding this year. Based on 144 games in a season, he played in three games.
He used fastballs and sliders at speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour to cook batters. He induced swings and misses by banking on his unique hidden movements and ball rotation. “I paid particular attention to my physical condition (181 cm). I took care of my nails, fingertips, and even my teeth.” He is also famous for maintaining a consistent body since his debut. Throughout his professional career, he thoroughly managed his diet and exercised his muscles to the extent that his weight change was only around 5 kg.
He had 814 hits against 4,058 hitters, giving up 371 runs (345 earned runs). He had 360 walks and 937 strikeouts. His earned run average (ERA) is just 3.18. It is no exaggeration to say that no pitcher in the history of the league has been more stable than this.
He shared the “SK Dynasty” as the best mid-game skit. He won two Korean Series titles in 2008 and 2010. He was the runner-up in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also posted impressive personal records. He recorded 100 holds for the second time in his career (145 saves, 197 saves), the most appearances by a pitcher in 85 games in 2008, the youngest ever (25 years, 11 months and 17 days) and the youngest ever (430 games) in his career.
What is most precious is the record of playing in 1,005 games. “I had a lot of greed since I took the mound in 970 games. I was not in good physical condition, but I wanted to take the opportunity to participate and achieve it,” Jung said. He also played for the national team. After being discharged from the military, he belatedly joined the national team to win the first Premier 12 championship held in 2015, and participated in the 2018 Asian Games as the best player in the team, and won the gold medal.
There were challenges, too. When SK won its first combined championship in 2007, it failed to make the postseason roster. In the same year, he played in 45 regular-season games and recorded 14 holds to assess himself that he played his role, but when he was excluded from the roster, he felt a sense of disappointment. “I had some regrets, but I practiced change-up understanding that coach Kim Sung-geun wanted me to learn new pitches. I think he thought fastball and slider were not enough,” Jung said calmly. As if to show off in 2008, he played in all five games of the Korean Series, and posted two wins and two holds, contributing to the win (4-1).
In 2016, he joined the Hanwha Eagles as a free agent and played for nine years. If SK is the hometown of professional baseball, then the Hanwha Eagles will be the “second hometown.” He was a built-in finishing pitcher for six seasons until 2021. When Hanwha entered the fall baseball league as the third place in 2018, he became the save king with 35 saves. The biggest regret was that he had only one experience in fall baseball at Hanwha. In Daejeon, Hanwha fans welcomed him wherever he went. “I was always grateful to Hanwha fans who were more passionate than anyone else, but I felt very sorry for my poor performance compared to my support,” he said.
I cried a lot at the retirement ceremony held in Daejeon’s home stadium on June 29. “I started crying when I was preparing for my retirement,” Jung said. “I just wanted to thank my teammates, coaches, coaching staff and fans. I was so happy because I felt like I was loved only.” 토토사이트
Jung Woo-ram devoted himself to teaching the remaining players in the second division this season. He has been giving sincere advice on his know-how and attitude as a professional player. “Players nowadays just try to throw fast. However, they teach me how to throw longer than fast,” Jung said. “Even though I am in the second division, I often hear that the opportunity will come someday. I wanted to make my juniors realize that it is important to be a player for a long time.”
I was a bit wrong. In the winter of 2022, my wife and I sold bungeoppang near my house. Recalling the delicious memories we had when we were young, I wanted to realize my bucket list. I spent several months during the off-season. “It was so cold standing outside for a long time, and it wasn’t easy to make bungeoppang, so I burned it a lot,” he said. “Even though I wore a mask and a hat, some people recognized me and told me not to tell anyone, but I really didn’t. It was a good experience.”
He also has many nicknames, such as iron arm, rubber arm, and large eagle. “I like the nickname the most recent eagle that I got while playing for Hanwha,” Jung said. “It is even more precious because the nickname was given by Hanwha fans.”
Jung Woo-ram’s “happiness baseball” continues. He is agonizing over whether to become a playing coach or not. Naturally, the two teams are discussing official coaching with Hanwha, but it has not been confirmed yet. He is also considering other things besides coaching.
