Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony

Mar 16, 2025

Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony
Jeong Dong-yoon for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok



Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony
An exhibition game between SSG Landers and Hanwha Eagles at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 11th. SSG Jung Dong-yoon is struggling. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.11/
Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony
An exhibition game between LG and SSG at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 16th, and SSG Jung Dong-yoon is heading to the dugout after completing a scoreless pitch in the top of the second inning. Incheon= Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.03.16/
The worries are not solved, but they are only getting bigger.

SSG Landers' headache surrounding the starting spot. There are only two exhibition games left, but they are still undecided.

Ahead of the opening, a huge unfavorable factor broke out: foreign player Mitch White's hamstring injury.




White is a Korean-American major leaguer who was also famous for his look similar to Park Chan-ho. In November last year, it signed a one-year total of $1 million with SSG. As he played in the KBO League, there was an expectation that if he performs well in the future, he would be advantageous in playing in the 2026 WBC (World Baseball Classic).

However, he returned home during the spring camp due to an unexpected injury. A situation in which he was diagnosed with micro damage to his hamstring and is waiting for a re-examination.

SSG clubs are waiting for the results of the re-examination on the 24th with expectations. Currently, it is expected that it will be possible to return to the site by mid-April at the latest.




Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony
SSG Landers' team held spring camp training at Kochinda Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 24th. White is playing catch. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.02.24/
I also thought about alternative foreign players like Shirakawa last season. However, in the case of Japanese players, it usually takes about a week for procedures such as passports, and if the six-week contract to participate in the game is included, White cannot throw a considerable amount of time even after he returns.

Initially, SSG decided to select 1st to 4th starters, including Kim Kwang-hyun, Anderson, and Moon Seung-won, White, and was only looking for 5 starters. However, White is in a position to fill two spots as he is out injured.

Therefore, they found a broader target, and as a result, it is the competition between Song Young-gun', Song Young-jin, Kim Gun-woo, 'Veteran', Park Jong-hoon, and '9th year' Jeong Dong-yoon.




Jeong Dong-yoon, from Yatap High School, is a 1m93 tall pitcher who was nominated for the first time in 2016. The curve that falls from a tall height and the movement of the two-seam are good, and the fastball speed this winter has been raised to the mid-140km range. There is also a splitter that Jung Dong-yoon himself has been grinding.

However, he lacks experience as there have been only eight games and nine ⅓ in the first division for eight years until last year. At this point, it is relatively unknown compared to other competitors. SSG coach Lee Soo-yong said of Chung Dong-yoon "He is very sincere." The ability to practice and reflect feedback immediately is also good. In this year's spring camp, the speed of the ball has risen 4-5km, and the pitch-seam-sweeper is good" He explained that he needs to adapt to the pitch tempo because he doesn't have much experience in the first team yet."

On this day, Jung Dong-yoon pitched well with three hits and one walk in three ⅓ innings, making manager Lee Sung-yong satisfied. Three strikeouts are a bonus. A total of 57 pitches is also ideal.

First of all, manager Lee Sung-yong is considering various ways, such as one pitcher for four or five starting positions, or one-plus-one tandem operation. He showed good pitching that made starter Dong-yoon think more about the fifth starting position. He threw various pitches without shaking, controlling the pitch tempo and speed."

Is it too late? Who will fill the empty seats of Incheon Chanho? Late 28-year-old starter's scoreless pitching...Growing agony
An exhibition game between SSG Landers and Hanwha Eagles at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 11th. SSG Jung Dong-yoon is struggling. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.03.11/
Chung Dong-yoon, whom I met after the game, said "I asked for a power analysis yesterday, and you helped me a lot, which was very helpful. The ball was thrown with confidence in (Cho). The crystal ball is throwing a splitter," he said with a big smile.

Then "I got hit a lot in the last game, but the coach 'It was easy to hit because the tempo was the same from the batter's point of view." You said, "Let's adjust the tempo a little bit." So I used it today and the results were good"I have about 15 seconds after I finish reading the sign anyway. You can throw it right away or throw it with 1 second left. I think it shook the batters' timing."

He responded to his big opportunity in nine years with a scoreless pitching. Regarding the head coach's concerns, "I'm grateful that the coach thinks so, and I'm confident that I can throw the position well anywhere." No one is aware of it."

"It's been nine years since I joined the professional league. I think it's a little late, I'm a player who's been well-established for a long time. I won't miss this opportunity. I want to show you how I grow as I prepare hard and study."



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.