It was a 1R talent 7 years ago...Surgery No. 2 → The pain passed through transfer laughter, the second act has just opened. The atmosphere is different.

Mar 20, 2025

Kiwoom Cho Sung-hoon for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok

SK 시절 조성훈. Sports Chosun DB

"The team was young. (I'm 26 years old this year) When I went to the second-tier camp, I was the second oldest in the entire pitching staff."

Cho Sung-hoon pledged a new start for the Kiwoom Heroes 'Young Team'.

Cho Sung-hoon, a former Cheongwon High School student, is a 'painful finger' of SSG Landers fans. He showed off his fastball over 150km in high school and wore a SK Wyverns uniform in the second round (No. 5 overall) in 2018.

However, only three games and seven ⅔ were played in the first team during the SK-SSG era. He finished his military service early, but shoulder pain plagued him repeatedly.

He seemed to see light as a substitute in 2023, but he left again due to a shoulder injury. On top of that, he underwent Tommy John surgery (reconstruction of the inner ligament of the elbow) and was out for the season.

However, Kiwoom selected a player who was confirmed to leave for at least a year in the second draft. That's how much he paid attention to Cho Sung-hoon's potential.

Cho Sung-hoon, who completed his rehabilitation, returned to the game against Doosan in the exhibition game on the 16th.

Cho Seong-hoon. Photo courtesy of the Kiwoom Heroes

It was the first mound in a long time, but the situation was not easy. With the bases loaded with one out in the top of the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead, Cho Sung-hoon gave up a sacrifice fly to Kim Min-seok and a walk to Kim Jae-hwan, but he reported his return by treating Lee Yoo-chan with a third-base foul fly.

The maximum speed of his fastball is 144 kilometers. Though not the fastball of the past, Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki praised him saying, `I saw the possibility and hope.'

For Cho Sung-hoon, it was also his first meeting with Gocheok Dome. Cho Sung-hoon "The bullpen is quiet, but when I came up, the atmosphere was very hot. It was fun to throw in the crowd"I looked back. I threw it thinking only of the first strike.

"I had surgery and I was surprised to get a second draft pick. The team helped me with my rehabilitation really well. Kiwoom is very young (than SSG), so sometimes it's embarrassing, but it's fun. When I went to the second-tier camp, I was number 2 after Oh Seok-joo. It's nice not to be nervous because I'm with my juniors."

SK 시절 조성훈. Sports Chosun DB

Kiwoom is undergoing massive rebuilding, including rookie Jung Hyun-woo and second-year Kim Yoon-ha. Cho Sung-hoon said, `As the players are young, opportunities are open to young players, and the threshold for the first team is not as high as it is. The line between the 1st and 2nd armies feels a little free. The atmosphere that fits me well was also quoted as saying.

"Actually, I wanted to throw it in literature…"If I have a chance, I want to play it properly (with SSG). I like (Choi) Jun-woo these days, but I want to meet him in real life. The goal is to keep throwing in the first team. As I moved the team, I renewed my mind. I'm looking forward to the new season."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.