There are many times when the game is decided as I want…ERA's second-leading assistant, main catcher is second to none
Jul 01, 2025
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After the match against the Hanwha Eagles in Incheon on the 29th of last month, SSG Landers manager Lee Sung-yong said, "(Cho) Hyung-woo's good chemistry with the pitchers as well as blocking stolen bases in the 6th and 7th innings helped the pitchers greatly. He also had multiple hits in offense. "I'm looking forward to the future because I'm improving more and more in Tuta." he smiled satisfactorily.
In the at-bat, he recorded multiple hits, including a double, and stopped two stolen bases. In addition, starting Mitch White and Noh Kyung led the game without losing a point against beneficial Cho Byung-hyun. SSG won 2-0 and finished the three consecutive games against the leading Hanwha Eagles with a winning series.
Cho Hyung-woo is a prospect who was nominated by SK (currently SSG) in the second round of the rookie draft (8th overall) in 2021. At that time, SK expected to grow as a main catcher, saying, `A catcher with excellent defensive ability and long-range hitting ability.'
Cho Hyung-woo, who played only in the Futures League in his first year, gained experience in the first division in nine games the following year, and played in 62 games in 2023.
It was highly anticipated, but one spot as a first-team catcher was not easy. Last year, Lee Ji-young and Kim Min-sik failed to secure the first team position and played only 19 games.
He did not miss the opportunity that came to him in 2025. Lee Ji-young left due to a hamstring injury, and showed off her competitiveness in the first team by showing good performance in both attack and defense.
This season, Cho Hyung-woo posted a batting average of 266, three home runs, 16 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.660 in 54 games at bat. In addition, he ranked third among the players who played 300 innings with 30.2% of stolen bases.
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"The pitchers are definitely good," Cho said of his teamwork with the pitcher. Rather than improving ball power compared to last year, I feel like it's a game as pitchers gain experience. "I sometimes sign autographs, but pitchers also actively appeal. Certainly, as we planned, there were many times when the game was played as we wanted. It's so much fun to play from the catcher's point of view," he said.
As for the scoreless joint venture with multi-hitters and pitchers on the 29th, "He tried to swing aggressively at bat. We talked a lot ahead of today's game because the result of the previous game was not good. The reason why he had good chemistry was "The white pitch was so good and the bullpen who took the mound afterwards was also good. Our pitchers overall pitched well" he said.
In order to fully play a season, physical fitness management is now important. Cho Hyung-woo "I do weight training every day. It seems to help me maintain my stamina. They care a lot about the training part, too. He's good at healing, too. I take care of my physical strength myself, but people around me also help me a lot, he said. "I sleep well, eat well, and try to manage my physical strength."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
