Cho Sang-woo (30), the closing pitcher of the Kiwoom Heroes, is expected to return to the first team through a match against the SSG Landers in Gocheok on Sunday.
Cho Sang-woo took the mound in relief at the top of the sixth inning, trailing 0-8 against the LG Twins in Gocheok in the Futures League on the 4th, and allowed one hit (one homer) in one inning. He threw 12 pitches to four batters. He was hit by a solo shot to the left by Kim Joo-sung (26), an infielder with one home run in the first division, but handled Son Yong-joon with a fly ball to right field, Kim Hyun-jong with a fly ball to second base, and Kim Yoo-min with a ground ball to second base.
Cho Sang-woo disappeared from the first division after the match against the Hanwha Eagles at Gocheok on July 11. He complained of fatigue in his shoulder. He rested and rehabilitated for about a month, and was ready to return to the first division. In the meantime, he was naturally forgotten in the trade market that ended on July 31.
He hit a home run, but it is all the more important that he has recovered his condition to the point where he can pitch. During the three consecutive home games against the NC Dinos last week, Coach Hong Won-ki said, “Cho Sang-woo will play in the Futures League on Friday, and immediately, if he is okay, he will join the first team.” Just in time, Kiwoom removed pitchers Lee Myung-jong and Cho Young-gun from the first team on Tuesday. Cho is expected to take the place.
Cho Sang-woo’s return to the Kiwoom bullpen is everywhere. While Cho Sang-woo was away, left-hander Kim Sung-min and right-hander Joo Seung-woo alternately took charge of the ninth inning. Of course, the stability was not comparable. It was also not negligible that the two people lost their sense of stability in the seventh to eighth innings because they were waiting in the ninth inning.
Despite this, Kiwoom has achieved three consecutive wins in recent years due to explosive play of its batters 먹튀검증. The team is still at the bottom of the list, but has not given up on advancing to the top five. There is no reason to give up. The team was 5.5 games behind fifth-ranked SSG. It is not an overnight insurmountable gap. However, it is also a gap that the team cannot overcome for the remaining two months until September. This is why the team needs to play three consecutive home games against SSG. And Cho Sang-woo will return to the team in those three consecutive games. This is Kiwoom’s move.
If Cho makes healthy and good pitching from August to September, there may be a chance to talk about trade again after the season. If all teams begin to reorganize their power after the season, some teams may want to strengthen their bullpen. Of course, Kiwoom does not necessarily want to sell Cho. Even for rebuilding the mound, Cho is necessary before the 2026 season when he becomes an FA. However, Kiwoom had never heard about trade inquiries from outside.
Above all, it is impressive to see Cho responding coolly to trade rumors and focusing only on baseball. In fact, he has been playing baseball well since the summer. From the game against SSG on May 31 to the game against Hanwha on July 11, he allowed no runs in 15 consecutive games and committed suicide. In many ways, Cho’s moves from August to September are important.
