KBO League in the era of 'Post Lee Jung-hoo', Moon Dong-ju, Yoon Young-cheol, Moon Hyun-bin, and Kim Min-seok appear
Hanwha Eagles Moon Dong-ju and KIA Tigers Yoon Young-chul.
The game between Kiwoom Heroes and Samsung Lions at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 10th. At the end of the eighth inning, when Kiwoom led 5-3, "KBO League Icon" Lee Jung-hoo (25) stood at the plate.
It had two meanings. It was his first return at-bat since suffering a left ankle injury against the Lotte Giants on July 22. Above all, it was a moment of "separation" where it was unknown how long it would last. After the 2023 season, Lee Jung-hoo will knock on the door of the Major League Baseball (MLB) through a posting system (closed competitive bidding).
Lee Jung-hoo took off his hat to greet the stands, and fans applauded regardless of home or away. Lee Jung-hoo said his final greetings to fans on the ground after the game.
Lee Jung-hoo, who debuted in the 2017 season, was noted as the son of Korean baseball legend Lee Jong-beom (current LG Twins coach). It didn't take long to erase my father's name. He became the Rookie of the Year with the most hits (179) and runs (111) in his debut season as a rookie, and since then, he has grown steadily and has become the league's representative hitter. In the 2022 season, he won five batting medals and won the MVP of the regular season.
When Lee Seung-yeop (current Doosan Bears manager) retired, many baseball players were originally concerned about the absence of stars. However, Lee Jung-hoo appeared and became a major player in the new era of the KBO League.
Now, the era of "post-Lee Jung-hoo" is coming. In the last season of Lee Jung-hoo's career in the KBO League, many young players who can grow into stars also appeared.
The representative player is Hanwha Eagles right-hander Moon Dong-ju. After receiving arm management last season, he joined the starting lineup this season and steadily played the rotation, recording 8 wins and 8 losses and an ERA of 3.72. In the bottom of the first inning against the KIA Tigers on April 12, he sprayed a 160.1km/h fastball, setting a new record for the highest ball speed ever by a Korean pitcher. In the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG) baseball final held on the 7th, he pitched well against Taiwan's batting lineup, recording three hits and no runs in six innings.
Yoon Young-chul, a left-handed rookie pitcher nominated in the first round of the KIA Tigers, also had an intense debut season. He was a right-handed sidearm who kept the team's starting lineup for years, and took the fifth starting position by pushing out pitcher Lim Ki-young, recorded eight wins and seven losses and an ERA of 4.04 in 25 games he took the mound this season. The average ball speed is in the early 140km/h, but he appealed to Moon Dong-ju with his movement to hide the ball (deception), control, and slow control. The two players will compete for the Rookie of the Year award in the 2023 season.
Hanwha fielder Moon Hyun-bindo is also a good successor to Lee Jung-hoo. He had a batting average of 0.266 (114 hits in 428 at-bats) in 137 games he played. He became the seventh rookie to record triple-digit hits in his debut season as a high school graduate. Lotte Giants outfielder Kim Min-seok, who was noted as a direct junior to Lee Jung-hoo's high school (Whimoon High School), is also the eighth player in history after Moon Hyun-bin. Lee Ju-hyung, who is not a rookie player, but made up for Lee Jung-hoo's departure due to injury after moving from the LG Twins to Kiwoom, has also emerged as the main player in the "post-Lee Jung-hoo" era. He had a batting average of 0.333 in 47 games in Kiwoom's uniform. 배트맨토토