Going to the U.S. at tens of millions of won at his own expense → Shocking walks, wild pitches, but why do we have to keep throwing exhibition games?

Mar 10, 2025

Going to the U.S. at tens of millions of won at his own expense → Shocking walks, wild pitches, but why do we have to keep throwing exhibition games?
The KBO League KT Wiz and LG Twins exhibition game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 8th. LG Jung Woo-young is catching his breath. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.08/



"Did you choose to go to the U.S. and learn..."

The shocking pitching content that is hard to see in a professional league game. However, LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop tried not to show his shock. And he said he'd wait. Will Jung Woo-young be able to repay that belief.

Jung Woo-young won the Rookie of the Year award with 16 holds in 2019 and properly made his name known to the world. Since then, he has established himself as the strongest bullpen agent in the league as a sidearm pitcher who throws a fastball well over 155km. In the 2022 season, he became 'Hold King' with 35 holds.




However, it has since fallen sharply. The restraint suddenly dropped, and the previous power disappeared. "I'm going to try the Major League, too."`I said proudly, but now it is an urgent priority to survive in the first team as a member of LG.

Going to the U.S. at tens of millions of won at his own expense → Shocking walks, wild pitches, but why do we have to keep throwing exhibition games?
The KBO League KT Wiz and LG Twins exhibition game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 8th. LG Jung Woo-young is pitching hard. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.08/
I've virtually wasted two seasons, 2023 and 2024. I also had elbow surgery. There were many twists and turns. Jung Woo-young threw a winning move. Ahead of this season, he visited the Tread Athletics Training Center in the U.S. at his own expense. To find restraint, he decided to change the pitching mechanism. The cost of visiting alone is tens of millions of won.

The evaluation was good in spring camp. However, his first game, an exhibition game against KT Wiz on the 8th, became a nightmare. He showed difficulty in controlling his ball, which is hard to be seen as a professional player. A straight walk to Kim Min-hyuk from the start. Against Hwang Jae-gyun, he even threw a ball flying behind the batter. It was a rare scene for the two-seam fastball to fall out like that. He had to walk two and throw two wild pitches and come down the mound. The speed limit was only mid-140 kilometers.




Going to the U.S. at tens of millions of won at his own expense → Shocking walks, wild pitches, but why do we have to keep throwing exhibition games?
The KBO League KT Wiz and LG Twins exhibition game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 8th. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop is doing an interview. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.08/
How did manager Yeom see Jung Woo-young's pitch. Coach Yeom flatly said "The balance problem." Then he started by throwing seven balls. He threw more than 10 balls and came down. In fact, it was a situation where I had to change it quickly, but I watched more because I was afraid of getting hurt.'

Coach Yeom continued, `You can say that you are not used to the form you learned in the United States yet. It's not something that's going to happen in a day. It is not easy to complete in a short time. The choice to go to the U.S. was made by the player. Jung Woo-young explained, "The club and the coach don't tell me what to do."

Coach Yeom said he needed time. Now my colleagues are on the verge of going to the battlefield. There is no time to relax and balance. To do that, it may be better to go down to the second division and improve your condition over time.




Going to the U.S. at tens of millions of won at his own expense → Shocking walks, wild pitches, but why do we have to keep throwing exhibition games?
The LG Twins squad left for Okinawa, Japan, the second camp site, via Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 24th. LG Jung Woo-young is preparing to leave the country. Incheon International Airport = Song Jeong-heon, reporter for @sportschosun.com/2025.02.24/
However, Yeom intends to honor Jung Woo-young, who has contributed to LG's bullpen so far. Coach Yeom said, `We have to keep throwing in the trial game as well. If I don't throw it here, where do I throw it. Suddenly, a good balance can be found. So you have to throw it. You have to throw and find what's missing. There are not many players on our team who have as much experience as Jung Woo-young. He's young, and there's still a good chance he'll get his own back. "Whether it's the second half of this year, next year, or the year after, it's more important to keep doing well."



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.