10km up in a year → 150km bang! The ball is good, so the master's eye was impressed, and then Karina 20-year-old Young-gun's resolution
Mar 25, 2025
|
|
|
There was hope in the disastrous opening series. A rookie who grew up in a year after eating in the first division has secured a spot in the bullpen.
Park Joon-woo (20) from Yushin High School wore a Lotte Giants uniform in the fourth round of last year's rookie draft.
At the time of nomination, it was classified as a future pick rather than an immediate sense of power. The possibility of development was high due to his tall height of 1m90 and flexible body shape, but his immediate fastball speed remained around 140km.
However, Park Joon-woo, who took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning of the opening game, overcame the bases-loaded crisis with two outs, and only allowed a hit to Hong Chang-ki in the seventh inning, blocking well without losing a run.
What stands out in particular is the fastball speed. In the second half of last year, when he shot up to 145km during the first-team call-up, there was a story that "the rise in restraint is noticeable in the first year." However, 146km came out of the spring camp, and up to 150km was recorded in the opening game. Park Joon-woo himself is also a surprised achievement.
This is thanks to the club's consistent expectations and opportunities. He joined the team and was named in the second-tier starting rotation.
|
In June last year, she had the good fortune to coach Karina of girl group Aespa to throw the first pitch. The first-team players couldn't afford it because of the double header in the rain, and the opportunity came back to Park Joon-woo, who was at Gimhae 2nd Army Stadium. On the one hand, the club's choice of Park Joon-woo itself shows expectations for him.
Park Jun-woo didn't miss his chance. In the Futures All-Star Game, he even won a ceremony for his performance as a "Karina cosplay"." The slim body and bright smile matched well, and it was impressive to see him enjoying the spotlight.
"The first pitch was 147 kilometers. When I warmed up my arms, I felt that I was in good condition. I threw it and looked at the electronic display, and there was 147 on it. Uh, I wondered what this was."
Now, Park Joon-woo wants to grow into the mainstay of Lotte's first-team bullpen. He "I feel the atmosphere surrounding me is different from last year. 'I thought, 'Let's do my job', but when I got on the mound, adrenaline just came up.'
Park Joon-woo said "The bullpen is okay because he is usually warmed up quickly. Above all, throwing the ball in the first team itself is so fun. I'm looking forward to it every day because I can go to games often."
|
Still, he remains in the bullpen and is loved by team main players such as Kim Sang-soo, Koo Seung-min, and Kim Won-joong. Park Joon-woo smiled broadly, saying, "(Kim) Won-joong bought me meat, and I'll give you a shoe when I get the opening entry, but he gave me a really good spike."
It may be a burden that a young player received a lot of attention for external work. However, Park Joon-woo said that it was rather a medicine for him.
"At first, I got so much attention that I honestly stuttered. But I think (the Karina ceremony) was a good opportunity. Wouldn't it be better if 'then Karina' was good at baseball. It was an opportunity to burn myself up even more."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
