A surprise performance from an alternate starter. SSG right-hander Cho Sung-hoon (24) earned a passing grade in his first first-team start.
Cho Sung-hoon started against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday and pitched four innings of five-hit ball, striking out two and walking none. Although he did not fulfill the requirement of a winning pitcher, he did his job by contributing to his team’s 6-1 victory.
Cho Sung-hoon took the mound as a substitute starter after Jong-hoon Park, who has been struggling lately, was expunged from the first team. It was the first first-team start for Cho, who made his professional debut in 2018.
His first-team appearances were limited to one relief appearance in his rookie year (October 11, 2018 against Doosan in Jamsil). However, this season, he impressed in the Futures (2nd Division) League, earning a promotion to the first team. He appeared in nine games (five starts), going 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA in 23⅔ innings. 토토사이트
In his first first-team start, Cho continued to perform well. “I was a little shaky and nervous, but once I got the first strike, I relaxed and I think I had fun after that,” he said after the game. “I felt that my fastball wasn’t as strong as in previous Futures games, so I focused more on my changeup,” he explained.
He also had good chemistry with Kim Min-sik, the starting catcher. “He told me not to avoid him and to go head-to-head with him,” said Cho Sung-hoon. “As Doosan players are aggressive, I thought I shouldn’t avoid him either, so I trusted his lead and threw.”
Out of his 62 pitches, 30 were fastballs, but he also had a variety of other pitches. He threw 21 sliders, 10 curves, and one splitter. “As the innings went on, my changeup seemed to get better,” Cho said, “but if I could have gotten the count in my favor, I wouldn’t have given up any walks, so I’ll work on that in the future.”
SSG manager Kim Won-hyung applauded Cho Sung-hoon for successfully completing his first first-team start. He said, “He pitched better than expected for his first start. He pitched much better than I was worried about,” he said, “Especially in a crisis situation, he was aggressive and overcame the crisis well. He paved the way for us to win today’s game.” “I’m looking forward to the next game,” he smiled.