If that’s the case, why did he go to study in the United States at his own expense? Former professional baseball hold king submarine pitcher Jung Woo-young (LG Twins) disappointed both his team and fans with his lack of control, despite having a comfortable 10-point lead.

On the 22nd, Jung Woo-young appeared as a relief pitcher in the season's eighth game against the Doosan Bears at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, showing a rough outing with 0 innings, 3 walks, and 3 earned runs.

Jung Woo-young, who had been struggling with an average earned run average of 10.13 over the previous 3 games, took the mound in the 8th inning as the third pitcher for a team that was leading 11-1.

Although the team had a solid 10-point lead, his control faltered again regardless of the score. Against the lead-off batter Kim Min-seok, he had a favorable count of 1 ball and 2 strikes but threw three consecutive balls, giving up a walk that led to trouble. After that, he hit Kim Gi-yeon with a pitch after two deliveries, and after facing pinch hitter Kim In-tae, he allowed another walk on the fifth delivery, creating a bases-loaded situation.

Jung Woo-young was eventually replaced by Sung Dong-hyun in the bases-loaded crisis, finishing the game bitterly. He threw 13 pitches.

Sung Dong-hyun, who had an average earned run average of 8.00 over 11 games this season, was not much different from Jung Woo-young. He faced first batter Kim Min-hyuk, committed a wild pitch, and allowed the runner from third base, Kim Min-seok, to score, and then sent Kim Min-hyuk to first base with a walk. Following that, he gave up a one-run single to Kang Seung-ho before passing the baton to Lee Ji-kang.

It was a game where Lee Ji-kang should not have come in. However, starting with Jung Woo-young, he could not avoid coming in because of the walk and wild pitch show. Unlike the previous two pitchers, Lee Ji-kang induced ground balls from Lee Yu-chan and Jo Soo-haeng consecutively, allowing 2 earned runs while recording 2 outs before stopping Yang Eui-ji with a ground ball to first base and stabilizing the chaos.

Despite the team's 13-5 victory, Jung Woo-young could not smile. He caused trouble for a team that was expected to have a comfortable victory by yielding walks, and all 3 inherited runners scored, causing his average earned run average to soar from 10.13 to 20.25.

Jung Woo-young burst onto the scene in 2019, recording 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 save, 16 holds, and an average earned run average of 3.72 over 56 games, earning the Rookie of the Year title. He made a name for himself as an elite submarine pitcher in the LG bullpen for four consecutive years, including being the hold king in 2022, but since 2023, he has been caught in inexplicable struggles, continuing to wander. After an average earned run average of 4.70 over 60 games in 2023, he greatly faltered with 2 wins, 1 loss, 3 holds, and an average earned run average of 4.76 over 27 games last year.

In light of this, Jung Woo-young sought personal training for about three weeks at a baseball training center in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the 2024 season. He made a big decision to spend personal expenditure during the inactive period to regain the power of his once sharp two-seam fastball. Through one-on-one lessons in the United States, he practiced restoring his pitching form to the previous arm angle, and showed improvement during spring camp.

However, there is no significant turnaround this year either. At least not so far. He began the season in the second team, had a training period of 83 days, and was finally called up by manager Youm Kyoung-youb on the 13th, but the only game reminiscent of the former Jung Woo-young was on the 17th against the NC Dinos, where he recorded no earned runs over 1 inning.

In the season's first game on the 15th against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles, he had 1 inning, giving up 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 strikeout, and 1 earned run, and on the 19th against NC, he managed only ⅔ of an inning, with 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, and today, he experienced the humiliation of not recording a single out before passing the baton.

Jung Woo-young, a side-arm pitcher delivering powerful fastballs, is an essential player for LG's bullpen. If he can regain his control, he is highly useful for closing situations, as he demonstrated from 2019 to 2022, even earning a spot on the national team.

When will Jung Woo-young be able to regain his elite submarine pitcher status?

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