A new wind is blowing in the starting Mound.
In the 2020 season, KBOUEFA Champions League opened on the 5th in the aftermath of Corona 19, and each team played 15Kyonggi in 14Kyonggi.
As the number of Kyonggi piles up, early report cards for Cole Hamels, who are spinning their starting rotation, are coming out. Interestingly, the Young Gun Cole Hamels of each team were plAced at the top of the report card.
Currently, all of the Cole Hamels (Gujo, Exclusion, Kim Min-woo, and Choi Chae-heung) under 25 are occupied by the first to seventh plAce in the KBOUEFA Champions League Earned run average except for the Foreign pitchers. It's a significant change given that there was not a single Cole Hamels in their 20s in the top 10 of the Earned run average last season.
The most representative player leading this change is Gujo (NC Dynos); born in 1997, Gujo announced his potential by taking his first 10 wins debut last season. However, with the back injury, the season was closed early and left a regret.
Gujo, who has been cleanly brushing off his back injury in the 2020 season, is emerging as a left-handed Ace representing the UEFA Champions League by adding to his position and experience. He is playing two wins and an Earned run average 0.41 (UEFA Champions League No. 1) during the season's 3Kyonggi, combining sliders, changeups and curves in fastballs approaching 150km.
Gujo has shown off his outstanding innings digestion, throwing eight consecutive innings of two Kyonggi in recent days, especially with aggressive and efficient pitching. Gujo is attracting attention as the next generation KBOUEFA Champions League left-handed Ace, which will be followed by the Hyun-jin Ryu (Toronto Blue Jays), Kwang-hyun Kim (Saint Louis Cardinals), and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA Tigers).
NC coach Lee Dong-wook said, " (Gujo) did not win on the 20th, but he has a huge impact on the team by throwing eight consecutive innings (after the last Kyonggi)." "It is encouraging that domestic Ace comes out of the club."
If there is Gujo in the left-hand side, right-hand Ace include Bae Je-seong (kt wiz) and Kim Min-woo (Hanwha Eagles). Like Gujo, Bae Je-seong, who recorded his first two-digit multiplier (10 wins) in his debut last year, is recording 1 win early in the season and an Earned run average 0.89 (third plAce in the UEFA Champions League). We are actively utilizing the big slider, which is the main weapon, and are overpowering the opponents.
Kim Min-woo, who has only shown the possibility in the meantime, is also cruising early this season. Kim Min-woo, who scored three runs in 4.1 innings in the first inning of the season on the 6th, allowed only one run in 14 innings in two starts.
Kim Min-woo showed off his powerful performance by catching 19 strikeouts (UEFA Champions League 5th plAce) based on his main weapon, the big forkball. Earned run average is also in sixth plAce in the UEFA Champions League with 1.96.
In addition, Choi Chae-heung (Samsung Lions), seventh in the Earned run average (2.65), is firmly guarding the starting Mound of the Samsung Lions. Also, "Super Rookie" Mini standard (kt) and Lee Min-ho (LG Twins) are showing off their outstanding performances and thrilling fans.
Start was cut off by "Monster rookie" Mini standard, who was a winning pitcher with two runs in five innings in the Doosan match on Saturday. It was the eighth professional debut victory of a high school graduate.
The poised Mini standard scored a quality start (less than three earned runs in six innings) with two runs in 6.1 innings in the Kyonggi game against the Samsung Lions on Saturday, his second win of the season. The Four-Shim fastball in the second half of 140km and the two-shim fastball in the mid 140km were combined with sliders, curves and changeups.
Mini standard, although he had eight runs in 5.1 innings in Kyonggi against Hanhwa on the 21st, made his potential known only by the results of Doosan and Samsung Lions, and made KBOUEFA Champions League fans shake.
When Mini standard showed its true side as a super rookie, "secret weapon" Lee Min-ho (LG Twins) also showed his true value. LG coach Ryu Joong-il announced on the 17th that "we will put a secret weapon in the starting rotation next week." The secret weapon was rookie Lee Min-ho.
Lee Min-ho pitched in Kyonggi against the Samsung Lions on Monday, giving up only one hit in 5.1 innings and pitching without a run. A top-of-the-line 151km four-shim fastball moved in the form of a rising fastball rising from the bottom, overpowering Samsung Lions batters.
Not just that: Lee Min-ho took the batters' timing by throwing a 140km early cutter, curve and forkball that quickly deflected out of the right-handed batter. At the end of the second inning, he proved that he had a strength even in the situation where he was able to catch Lee Hak-ju as a checker with a quick check action. LG, who had a long time to find Cole Hamels prospects in the team, got a line of hope with Lee Min-ho's good pitch.
The KBOUEFA Champions League failed to produce any new Cole Hamels after the Hyun-jin Ryu, Kwang-hyun Kim, and Yang Hyeon-jong, which appeared in the middle and late 2000s. In the 2010s, prospects who had high potential with fastballs were often used as bullpen pitchers rather than Cole Hamels, and there were many cases that led to overwork. Meanwhile, young starters at the KBOUEFA Champions League have dried up.
But early in the 2020 season is different: from 'left-hand Ace' Gujo to 'super rookie' Lee Min-ho, it is rocking the KBOUEFA Champions League. Attention is focusing on what grades the Young Gun Cole Hamels will record by the end of this season.