Trackman ‘160.1km’ PTS ‘158km’…Moon Dong-joo, still fast even after holding the ball
Moon Dong-ju (20-Hanwha Eagles) has a solid fastball, but he hasn’t lost any of his velocity.
Moon threw six innings of seven-hit ball with no walks and five strikeouts against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 KBO League regular season at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Sunday. He threw 101 pitches, the most since his debut, but he didn’t struggle with his pitches like he did in May.메이저놀이터
His velocity improved in both June games. After walking 15 batters in 15 and a third innings in May, he gave up just one hit and no walks in seven innings against the Kiwoom Heroes in Daejeon on the 1st, and then shut down the Doosan bats with no walks in the 7th.
As much as his pitches have changed, something else has stood out. It’s the restraint. According to the Trackman-based pitching analysis provided by Doosan, Moon’s fastball reached a maximum velocity of 160.1 km/h on that day, with an average of 154 km/h. His fastest pitch was a three-pitch fastball against Yang Seok-hwan in the bottom of the first inning.
Moon had previously recorded the fastest fastball ever by a Korean pitcher in the KBO in April, reaching 160.1 km/h. The official record is based on PTS, while the Trackman record was 161 km/h at the time. Despite the difference in measurement methods, both records were measured by authoritative devices.
Most pitchers lose control of their pitches while trying to catch them. However, Moon Dong-ju’s fastball in June was close to his own record. His fastest fastball against Yang Seok-hwan was recorded at 158 km/h based on PTS. His fastball to Kyung-min Heo in the fourth inning (159.1 km/h on the tracker, 158 km/h on the PTS) and his fastball to Jose Rojas in the second inning (158.7 km/h on the tracker, 157 km/h on the PTS) were also strong.
With the win, he lowered his season ERA to 3.53. It was the best outing of his career before the roster announcement for the Hangzhou Asian Games on 9 September. Hanwha fans have been waiting for a month for the return of ‘ace mode’ Moon Dong-ju.