In the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Hanwha Eagles' second-year left-handed pitcher Cho Dong-uk (21) secured a victory in his first start of the season. He enhanced his presence with a strong performance that neatly filled the void left by Ryu Hyun-jin.
On May 11, Cho Dong-uk made a starting appearance at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, pitching 5 innings with 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts, while allowing 1 run, leading Hanwha to a 7-1 victory.
On 4th last year, at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon against Kiwoom, Cho pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run (non-earned) to set the record for the 11th all-time high school rookie debut victory, and became a winning pitcher for the first time in 395 days. With his first win of the season, his earned run average dropped from 3.70 to 3.38.
Having experienced 8 games as a starter last year, Cho Dong-uk entered the season competing for the 5th starter position but began the season in the bullpen. Before this game, he had pitched in 27 games (24⅓ innings) all in relief with 1 save and 3 holds, posting an earned run average of 3.70. He did not miss his chance for a substitute start this day. After Ryu Hyun-jin was substituted due to left adductor pain in the game against KT on May 5 and was removed from the roster for protection, Cho was selected as the substitute starter.
It was his first start in 259 days since September 25 last year against LG. Cho came in as the second pitcher in the game against KT, which Ryu Hyun-jin had exited early on May 5, pitching 2⅔ innings with 5 hits allowed, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts, while increasing his pitch count to 58. Hanwha's manager Kim Kyung-moon noted before the game about Cho's pitch count, "I think a maximum of about 80-90 pitches would be fine. I'm not sure how his stamina will hold up, but if he can get through 5 innings with about 80 pitches, that would be great," and Cho completed his starting mission through the 5th inning with just 65 pitches.
The game started well from the first inning. Cho induced Lee Yoo-chan to a pop-up to shortstop, then quickly got Jake Cave out with a ground ball to third base before allowing a straight walk to Yang Eui-ji. However, he ended the first inning by inducing Kim Jae-hwan to hit a ground ball to first on a fastball inside.
In the third inning, he started by allowing a single to lead-off hitter Park Jun-soon to left. He struck out Kim Min-seok on a high inside fastball but allowed Park Jun-soon to steal second base and walked Lee Yoo-chan. Faced with 1 out and runners on first and second, he led to a ground ball from Cave, coaxing consecutive swings and misses on low change-ups on the first two pitches. He then induced a ground ball to second from a fastball outside, escaping the jam with a 4-6-3 double play.
In the fourth inning, he allowed his first run with a home run to lead-off batter Yang Eui-ji. On the second pitch, a fastball at 141 km/h became a high meat pitch which led to a solo shot. Cho then allowed a right-field double to Kim Jae-hwan, but received defensive help in a continued situation of 1 out and a runner on third with a ground ball from Kim Dong-jun. On a weak ground ball in front of the third baseman, Roh Si-hwan sprinted in quickly, making a bare-hand catch and throwing home. With a quick and accurate throw to home, they caught the runner Kim Jae-hwan, escaping the scoring threat. In the following situation of 2 outs and a runner on first, he retired Oh Myeong-jin with a fly ball to center, finishing the fourth without additional runs.
In the fifth inning, a well-hit line drive by Park Jun-soon was jumped and caught by shortstop Lee Do-yoon, boosting Cho Dong-uk's confidence. After getting Kim Min-seok out on a fly to right field, Cho allowed a single to Lee Yoo-chan, but reversed Cave with a swinging strikeout on a slider, fulfilling the requirements for a victory in 5 innings.
Starting the 6th inning with a 5-1 lead, Cho Dong-uk handed the mound over to the bullpen, finishing with a total of 65 pitches. His pitches included a maximum speed of 145 km/h and an average of 143 km/h fastballs (30 pitches), complemented by change-ups (19 pitches), sliders (15 pitches), and one curveball. He boldly challenged left-handed batters with aggressive pitching and successfully induced swings and misses with change-ups. With his attacking style of not avoiding batters and aided by good defense from his fielders, he became the winning pitcher.
After the game, Cho said, "I feel good that things went well as I had planned today. I think I will sleep even better now that I secured a win as a starter," and added, "Even if I got hits, I focused on making a good first pitch. It was my plan to aggressively challenge and make the batters get into a disadvantaged ball count quickly. I think that worked well to some extent, and I feel good about it."
The rare opportunity to start could have been burdensome, but the excitement was greater. Cho Dong-uk remarked, "I felt nervous to hear that I would be starting for the first time in a while. While I was worried, the feeling of excitement came first," and added, "Coming together with the starters made it real that I was in the rotation. It felt good to come out early before the game to warm up."
The advice from senior player Ryu Hyun-jin was a great help. Cho stated, "Senior Hyun-jin said yesterday (May 10) to me, 'Pitch each batter as if it's the last one. I'm not asking for too much from you. I don't expect you to be perfect, just think of pitching one inning at a time.' I threw with the mindset that each inning was the last, rather than thinking about pitching 5 to 6 innings."
If Ryu Hyun-jin returns, there is a high possibility that Cho will go back to the bullpen. Having experienced starting, middle, and closing roles this season, Cho expressed, "I wanted to show that I can pitch as a starter at any time. Even if I'm taken out of the starting position, I can work hard in the bullpen. I will show that I can take on any role when given the chance," and vowed, "I will pitch well until senior Hyun-jin is okay, so I can be helpful to the team."
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