The sleepless nights are now over. Professional baseball player Hanwha Eagles' "fireballer" Moon Dong-ju (22) has definitely bounced back with two consecutive strong performances. He was a significant source of comfort for Hanwha amid a scoreless defeat.
Moon Dong-ju started on July 2 against NC in Daejeon, putting on a remarkable performance with 6⅓ innings pitched, allowing 2 hits, no walks, striking out 7, and giving up 1 run. He pitched a season-high number of innings without any walks, but did not receive support from the batting lineup. With Hanwha's batting lineup finishing scoreless through the 9th inning, they lost 0-2, and Moon Dong-ju recorded his 3rd loss of the season (6 wins). His earned run average decreased from 3.86 to 3.63.
Although he became the losing pitcher, Moon Dong-ju's pitching was the best this year. He dominated NC’s batting lineup with just 36 pitches through the 3rd inning, achieving a perfect game. He started with a strike on the first pitch and threw aggressively with favorable counts. In the 4th inning, after allowing a lead-off hit to Kim Joo-won at shortstop, Moon Dong-ju gave up a stolen base to second and then allowed Park Min-woo to hit a timely single, giving up the first run. Following a wild pitch, he faced a 1 out, 2 base crisis, but induced ground balls from Matt Davidson and Park Kun-woo with a forkball and slider, respectively, to escape without further runs.
After maintaining stability with consecutive three outs in the 5th and 6th innings, Moon Dong-ju was replaced after getting Park Min-woo to ground out to second base as his first batter in the 7th inning, having thrown 92 pitches. After throwing a first pitch to Park Min-woo, he grimaced as he suffered a cramp in his right leg, but fortunately, it was not an injury.
After finishing at-bat against Park Min-woo, Moon Dong-ju threw 39 four-seam fastballs with a maximum speed of 156 km/h and an average of 152 km/h, along with 27 forkballs, 16 curves, and 10 sliders. Although the maximum velocity of his fastball was lower than usual, he pitched efficiently with command, placing every pitch where he wanted. The tunneling of the forkball, which falls in a trajectory similar to the fastball, led to swings and misses from batters on both sides.
Following a victory on June 26 against Samsung in Daegu, where he pitched 5⅔ innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, striking out 4, and giving up 1 run, he has continued to show strong performances in two consecutive games. At that time, Moon Dong-ju, who became the winning pitcher after a 37-day wait, said, "I waited a long time for this victory. I wanted to show a good result quickly so I could sleep a bit more comfortably. I think I can sleep comfortably tonight," adding, "The time to return took a little longer than expected. It seems there was too much talk and things happening in the meantime."
Moon Dong-ju was removed from the first team roster after the match against Lotte in Daejeon on May 25. While it was a precautionary measure, it took 3 weeks before his return for the match against LG in Daejeon on June 15. He did not go beyond 5 innings in both games before and after the break, leading to early exits. His return was later than expected, and due to his performance not meeting expectations, there were misunderstandings and speculations surrounding Moon Dong-ju.
Moon Dong-ju ended his season early last September due to shoulder pain, finishing a month ahead of schedule. He underwent rehabilitation through to this year's spring camp and cautiously followed the build-up process from the start of the season. The coaching staff provided ample time and took careful measures, which delayed his return, and a small number of fans suspected that Moon Dong-ju was being overly cautious. He was labeled as a selfish player, putting himself ahead of the team, and Moon Dong-ju was aware of this perception.
Moon Dong-ju is overcoming these challenges on his own. With two consecutive strong performances leading up to this game against NC, he has escaped the sleepless nights. Moon Dong-ju, who declared a goal of more than 10 wins, is erasing doubts with his performance.
문동주는 스스로 이겨내고 있다. 이날 NC전까지 2경기 연속 호투로 반등하며 불면의 밤에서 벗어났다. 10승 그 이상을 목표로 선언한 문동주가 실력으로 의심을 지워내고 있다.
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