Pitch clock in pilot operation “I told players not to worry about the risk of injury.”

Lee Kang-cheol KT Wiz Director

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol is interviewing reporters ahead of the home game against the LG Twins in the opening game of the 2024 professional baseball exhibition game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 9th.

Rookie Won Sang-hyeon (19) is expected to be the 5th starter for the new season of KT Wiz.

Ahead of the home game against the LG Twins in the opening game of the 2024 professional baseball exhibition game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 9th, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “We plan to select Won Sang-hyun as the starter against LG on the 10th,” and added, “Won Sang-hyun pitched a good ball in spring camp.” revealed.

Coach Lee said, “The key is physical strength,” and “We will check in the exhibition game whether he can handle 3 to 4 innings and then decide whether to use him as the 5th starter.”

Right-handed pitcher Won Sang-hyun, who graduated from Busan High School, was selected by KT as the 7th overall player in the first round of last year’s rookie draft.

Won Sang-hyun, who throws a fastball at 150 km/h, is evaluated as having the ability to play in the first team of professional baseball.

However, physical strength distribution and game management skills are inferior to existing players.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “Kim Min and Jo Yi-hyeon are also candidates for the 5th starting pitcher,” and added, “Kim Min is preparing to be the second pitcher for the LG game on the 10th.”Jo Yi-hyun will be tested as a starter against LG on the 9th.

Coach Lee Kang-cheol explained, “We calculated the starting rotation for the exhibition game based on the regular league schedule,” and added, “This is why Cho Yi-hyeon was selected as the starter today.”

Meanwhile, many things change in professional baseball this year.

The Automatic Pitching System (ABS) will be operated starting from demonstration games.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “There will be no major changes with the introduction of ABS,” and “Rather, catchers will not need to frame (the act of moving the mitt to get a favorable decision from the umpire when catching a pitcher’s ball). “I will be able to receive the ball without pressure,” he said.

KT decided not to pay much attention to the pitch clock that will be piloted in the first half of the year.

The pitch clock is a rule that places a time limit on the pitching or batting preparation process to reduce game time. The pitcher must throw the ball within 23 seconds when there are runners on base and within 18 seconds when there are no runners on base.

Initially, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) attempted to introduce a pitch clock for the 2024 season, but due to opposition from the field, decided to run it on a trial basis until the first half of the year and then decide to introduce it in the second half of the year.

However, even during the trial period, the pitch clock device will operate normally and referees will also issue verbal warnings in case of violations.

Players may be concerned.

Coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “There is a risk of injury if you suddenly throw the ball at a fast tempo according to the pitch clock,” and added, “I ordered the players to pitch at their own pace without worrying about it.”

The pitch clock is being used on a trial basis in the KBO League, but the Futures League, which is a second-tier game, will operate normally.

If you do not throw the ball within the time limit, you will be judged as a ‘ball’.

When asked, ‘What should we do when a first-team player is briefly sent down to the second-team?’, coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “It may be better to protect the player by giving a walk rather than strictly following the rules.”

On this day, KT’s batting order consisted of center fielder Bae Jeong-dae, left fielder Kim Min-hyuk, right fielder Mel Rojas Jr., first baseman Park Byeong-ho, designated hitter Kang Baek-ho, third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun, second baseman Park Kyung-soo, catcher Kang Hyeon-woo, and shortstop Kim Sang-su.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol said about Kang Baek-ho’s positions in the new season, “We will see designated hitter and right fielder.”

Last season’s Korean Series champion LG Twins, competing against KT, will feature designated hitter Park Hae-min, center fielder Hong Chang-ki, left fielder Kim Hyun-soo, first baseman Austin Dean, shortstop Oh Ji-hwan, third baseman Bo-kyung Moon, catcher Park Dong-won, right fielder Moon Seong-ju, and second baseman Koo Bon-hyuk.

The starting pitcher is Dietrick Ens, a new foreign pitcher who was announced as the starter for the opening game. 한국야동