Rookie of the Year ace Cho Hyung-joon (23) is also expected to be managed by the national team. In addition, Ryu Joong-il (61), the coach of the Korean national baseball team, gave high praise to Cho.
Ahead of the national team training held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 28th, head coach Ryu Joong-il said, “When I first picked Cho Hyung-joon, I thought a lot about whether my team (KT) would send him.”
Cho joined KT Wiz through the first round of nomination in 2020. In his first year, he played in 26 games, recorded 13 wins, 6 losses and a 3.86 ERA, and confidently won the Rookie of the Year award. He went on to record 7 wins, 7 losses and a 4.16 ERA in 24 games in the 2021 season, before spending his career high season with 13 wins, 6 losses and a 3.05 ERA in 27 games in the 2022 season. Based on his stellar performance, he also had the honor of joining the WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team. 먹튀검증
However, he was diagnosed with a sprained right forearm muscle during the 2023 season. Consequently, Cho underwent major surgery called Tommy John Surgery meant to link tendons in his elbow in May last year. Usually, a player who underwent Tommy John Surgery meant to link tendons in his elbow would have to undergo a one-year rehabilitation period. However, he had difficulty until he returned to normal. He felt pain in his right elbow while playing in the Futures League to return to the first team. He was diagnosed with micro-damage to the outer flexor muscle of his right elbow, and his return has been postponed.
After receiving treatment for injections, Cho returned to the mound against NC Dinos on Sept. 12. He pitched in relief in all six games this season, and posted two wins, no loss and an earned run average of 3.24. During eight ⅓ innings, he had seven hits (one homer), one walk, three strikeouts and three runs (three earned runs) in WHIP (perinning allowance) of 0.96 and his batting average of 0.250.
Cho was thoroughly supervised by KT. He did not have consecutive throws. Coach Lee Kang-cheol said that Cho did not have consecutive throws in the postseason, but actually kept his promise. Cho took the mound in three games with the LG Twins in the semi-playoff, and displayed an earned run average of 2.25 on one hold. He had four hits, one strikeout and one run (one earned run) during four innings. Back then, Lee said, “Cho will only use the winning team. If he plays one day, he has to take a day off unconditionally.”
Currently, Cho has joined the Premier 12 national team and is training to improve his condition. Ryu Joong-il, the head coach of the Korean national team, also plans to manage the number of pitches and the interval between pitches. “I came back after rehabilitation after surgery. So, I will not give him consecutive throws,” Ryu stressed. “Since his team (KT) didn’t throw consecutive games, we should keep it to that extent.”
Ryu spared no compliments on Cho. “He certainly throws well. The ball changes a lot,” Ryu said with a smile. Although he cannot start yet, as he used to. Still, expectations are high on how Cho will perform in this year’s event with Ryu’s trust.
