Will KT Wiz’s Moon Yong-ik open the door to success as a starting pitcher.
Moon Yong-ik is wearing the KT Wiz uniform ahead of this season. He was chosen as the compensation player for Kim Jae-yoon, who wore the Samsung Lions uniform for a four-year total of 5.8 billion won (approx.
Along with his transfer, Moon received high expectations from KT coach Lee Kang-chul, who has 152 wins in the KBO league. During the Busan-Gijang spring camp in February, Lee said, “I don’t know if I will do well or not, but I think I picked Moon. There is also a breaking ball at 150 kilometers. He throws a curve ball with a high angle. There is no pitcher in our team that can strike out this type. I have caught all of them. I’m looking forward to it.”
Prior to KT’s arrival, he was average with a 3.84 ERA of 4 wins, 2 losses, 1 save and 4 holds in 75 games in the first division. After his debut in the first division in 2021, he had only 2.50 ERA in 22 games in the 2021 season, 1 win, 2 losses, 2 saves and 2 holds ERA in 39 games in the 2022 season, 3.35 ERA, and 4.15 ERA in 14 games in the 2023 season. In the Futures, he was average with 6 wins, 4 losses, 7 saves, 5 holds, and an ERA of 5.91 in 84 games, but manager Lee Kang-chul was expecting Moon Yong-ik.
However, when I opened the lid, he failed to display stellar performance in the first team. He showed poor performance in 10 games with 14.21 ERA, including five hits, one homer, three four outs and eight runs in one inning against the LG Twins on April 7. In the game against the Doosan Bears in Suwon on July 11, he gave eight outs during two innings, which collapsed. After the game against Doosan, he would not be seen in the first team game. He came down to the second team on July 15.
Since then, Moon Yong-ik has been a starter in the last four consecutive games after taking two relief appearances. Moon has no experience as a starter in the first team. He has occasionally appeared as a starting pitcher in the Futures League, but most of his games have been in the bullpen.
The results are getting better as the games get played. On July 30, he had seven hits, one homer, two strikeouts, one strikeout and six runs lost in 2.2 innings against the South Korean military athletic unit, while on August 6, he had three hits, one homer, two strikeouts and six runs in four innings against the Hanwha Eagles, and on August 13, he had seven hits, one strikeout and six strikeouts in five innings against the LG Twins.
At the game against Doosan Bears on Aug. 20, he became the winning pitcher with six innings of one hit, one out and eight strikeouts, and a quality start (less than three earned runs in six innings as a starter). Not only does he digest innings, but he is also good at striking out with 150 kilometers of fastballs. He has 20 strikeouts in three games. 안전놀이터
Manager Lee Kang-chul recently said, “I told him to go as a starter and think about it before throwing as many as possible. If he can’t make it to the halfway point, he should use it as a starter. Since Kim Min can’t be a starter either, he has switched to the bullpen and is doing well. I will try to use it as a starter and if it works out well, I will try to use it in the first division as well.”
As manager Lee Kang-chul said, Kim gave up on becoming a starting pitcher and turned into a bullpen pitcher, contrary to Moon. Kim, who had failed to settle down, is making a career-high season this season with eight wins, two losses and 17 holds and an earned run average of 3.88. With Son Dong-hyun and Lee Sang-dong slowing down, he is supporting the KT bullpen along with Woo Kyu-min and Park Young-hyun.
Lee Seung-hyun of Samsung, who is also on the opposing team, has also switched to a starter instead of a bullpen, opening a door for success. Although Lee is currently sidelined due to injury, he has posted six wins, four losses and an earned run average of 4.23 in 17 games in his first season as a starter.
