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“There is no fear. We will definitely do well.”

Moon Dong-ju (20, Hanwha Eagles)’s last appearance was a moment of glory for Korean baseball.

The finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games on the 7th of last month. He started against Taiwan and pitched scoreless pitching, striking out 7 in 6 innings, leading the team to win the gold medal.

About a month later, Moon Dong-ju wore the Taegeuk symbol once again. He was selected as the national team for the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) to be held in Tokyo, Japan on the 15th.

APBC Players aged 24 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1999) or within their third year of joining (joined in 2021 or later) can participate, along with up to three players aged 29 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1994) as wild cards. possible. Since this is a national team made up of players of the same age, we were able to prepare for the competition in a more comfortable atmosphere.

Dong-ju Moon said, "I think the atmosphere is good because I am rejoining the national team with good results. I have many friends my age and close friends, so I think I am training well."

Moon Dong-ju, who joined Hanwha as a first-round pick in the 2022 rookie draft, spent this season limited to 120 innings during the regular season as a protection measure. He is considered the top rookie, recording 8 wins, 8 losses, and an average ERA of 3.72 in 23 games before the Asian Games.

Moon Dong-ju, who took a break after his gold medal at the Asian Games, said, "I rested well. I'm worried because I rested too much, but I hope the results come out well as I rested well. Before going to the Asian Games, I took a break and prepared well, but this time, even though I rested, I was ready." "It's going well. I think we can definitely do well, so I don't think there's anything to be afraid of," he said.

On the 8th, Moon Dong-ju appeared as a starter in a practice game against the Sangmu baseball team at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu and pitched for the first time in about a month. Moon Dong-ju, who said, "I haven't pitched in a long time, so I'm not at 100%, but I'll throw close to 100%," pitched at a maximum speed of 150 km/h, allowing 1 hit (1 home run), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 run in 3 innings. He hit a home run from Na Seung-yeop (Lotte) in the first inning, but later showed off his power and tied up the batters.

Regarding the management of the starting staff, national team coach Ryu Joong-il said, “We have a total of 4 games, so (the starting pitchers) only need to take charge of one game. Moon Dong-ju, Kwak Bin, Won Tae-in, Lee Ui-ri, Oh Won-seok, and Choi Seung-yong are the starting pitchers, and they are the ones who I think are in the best condition after watching the training process. “We are going to add players first,” he said. “It is a short match anyway. It would be nice to win all three teams, but Australia and Taiwan are opponents that we must beat. Since everyone has to play in the finals, I think we must win against Australia and Taiwan.” If he is in his current condition, there is a high possibility that he will pitch in the first game against Australia.

Moon Dong-ju, who will be stepping into the Tokyo Dome for the first time, said, "I want to throw in front of a crowd of 10,000 people. I have no desire to pitch in the Korea-Japan game, but I am preparing well to get good results in any game." He added, "If I play against Japan, I will throw in the Asian Games finals." “I will try to throw it more earnestly than before,” he said.


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