"The position I can do best. I'll do my best"…NC Son Joo-hwan, who keeps his pledge and is doing well as a bullpens vitality
"The position I can do best. I'll do my best"…NC Son Joo-hwan, who keeps his pledge and is doing well as a bullpens vitality
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These were the words of Son Joo-hwan (NC Dinos), whom he recently met. And he is giving a big boost to the NC bullpen by keeping his promise.안전놀이터
Sohn, a graduate of Korea Water Bank and Dong-A University, is a right-handed pitcher who boasts heavy fastballs. He entered the professional league as the 55th player in the sixth round in 2024, being invited by NC. Last year, he mainly played in the Futures League (minority league) and displayed impressive performance with 0.34 ERA with five wins and four holds in 25 games (26.1 innings). In four games (3.2 innings) in the first division in the 2024 season, he had one loss and an ERA of 9.82.
His growth has accelerated this year. He proudly entered the opening entry and secured his first hold since his debut against the Gwangju KIA Tigers on March 23. Son Joo-hwan also encountered his first win since his debut against the Daegu Samsung Lions on March 27.
Son Joo-hwan, who later interviewed a reporter earlier this month, said, "When I was an amateur, my wish was to go to the first team and win and make holds and saves one by one. "After winning my first victory, I realized that I am now a first-team professional baseball player. (When I won my first victory) I was reminded of my father the most," he said with a smile. "I lost about 10 kilograms and gained muscle mass during the offseason. I lost about 10 kilograms. I lost weight, but my speed and ball power gradually increased. As I gained experience, I think I have improved my capacity to run games. I am confident in targeting the ABS zone."
The upward trend continued. Notably, the match against the Lotte Giants in Busan on Monday showed Son's performance. He replaced starter Lee Yong-chan at the top of the third inning when NC was leading 6-5. Without hesitation, Son, who caught Jeon Joon-woo (baseball fly) and Jang Doo-sung (baseball to shortstop), had a hit to the left by Jeon Min-jae, but induced Hwang to ground ball to the first base to end the inning.
The team continued to stabilize at the top of the fourth inning. It gave Ko Seung-min (ground ball to second baseman) and Na Seung-yeop (three strikeouts) in turn. He allowed a walk to Victor Reyes, but tied Yoo Kang-nam to second baseman. Later, in the top of the fifth inning, Kim Min-sung (third baseman ground ball), Jeon Joon-woo (second baseman fly), and Jang Doo-sung (striker ground ball) finished his mission on the day.
The final result was 39 pitches in total, including one hit and one strikeout, during three innings. As NC Dinosaurs won the game 9-6, not allowing a tie, Son was able to secure his second win in this season. As of Tuesday, Son had played in seven games (eight innings), had two wins, no loss, and had an ERA of 0.00 with one hold.
NC, which has been struggling since the beginning of this year, is pointed out as a weakness in the bullpen. Kim Jin-ho, Jeon Sa-min, and Ryu Jin-wook are in a must-win group, but the weight is somewhat lower. In this situation, if Son Joo-hwan steadily reveals his presence, NC will gain great strength. It was also Son Joo-hwan's wish.
Son said, "I am a pitcher who pushes ahead with fast speed and pitching. I am confident that I can beat batters with strength at any time. I think I am a bullpen pitcher. I can play in the position that I can do the best," Son said. "My first goal was to play 30 innings. Now I have changed. I will continue to do well and make the group to win. I want to play 20 holds." I will do my best," Son said. Since then, he has expressed his desire for the Rookie of the Year award through the club's video channel. Will Son be able to continue to play salty games and become a key bullpen resource for NC.