Hanwha's Moon Dong-ju pressured Kia's Kim Do-young with a 157-kilometer fastball and took away his timing with a curveball. He also went for a body slam. Kim Do-young was able to catch the ball accurately.
The first-ever matchup between Gwangju's 20-year-old top prospects Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) and Kim Do-young (KIA) took place at KIA Champions Field in Gwangju on June 6. The result was a two-hit, no-hit, one-strikeout victory for Moon Dong-joo, but it's pointless to distinguish winners and losers based on tangible results. The game was a feast for the eyes.
The matchup started in the top of the first inning with Kim Do-young batting third. The bases were loaded. Moon's historic first pitch was a curveball, not his signature fastball. It was even called for a strike. The Moon-Dong-joo-Choi Jae-hoon battery knew that it would be hard to time the slower pitches.
The game went to a full count. Moon once again chose a curveball, but Kim Do-young timed it perfectly. Only, the shortstop, Lee Do-yoon, caught it as if he knew the direction of Kim's hit. In a word, a well-thrown and well-hit game. SBS Sports commentator Lee Soon-cheol called the game a draw.
The second at-bat was in the bottom of the fourth inning with Hanwha leading 2-1. Kim Do-young was the leadoff batter. Moon Dong-joo pitched a 148-kilometer fastball to Choi Jae-hoon at 1B1S. However, he didn't get it all the way in. It was still not easy for Kim Do-young. His timing was off, and he flied out to right field.
With Hanwha leading 4-2, the bottom of the sixth inning was the final game. Kim Do-young led off again. Once again, it was a full count, but Moon Dong-ju seemed to be conscious of the game against Kim Do-young. Suddenly, his pitching form increased, and a seven-pitch 152-kilometer fastball sailed well over the height of catcher Choi Jae-hoon and into the backstop. A groundout.
In fact, he threw a five-seamer 154km and a six-seamer 157km. There have only been two games this season where Moon has thrown more than 100 pitches. He realized it was time for a changeup and 바카라사이트 made a good pitch, but it was a grounder. Moon was then removed from the game. 5⅓ innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 2 runs (1 earned). No-decision as the bullpen blew the win requirement.
Kim Do-young lost a decision against Moon Dong-joo, but contributed enough to the team afterward. Immediately, he boldly stole second base despite Hanwha bringing up left-hander Kim Bum-soo. Commentator Kim Tae-hyung praised the timing of the slide. He then singled in the eighth and drew a walk in the ninth to set up Na Sung-bum's tying hit. In the 12th inning, he stole second base after reaching on an error. Kim now has just four hitless games in 29 games this season.
The real winners were the 10,125 fans who braved the heat to attend the game at KIA Champions Field in Gwangju. They own the KBO. They watched the talent of the present and future of Korean baseball in front of them. They left feeling refreshed after the heat wave. The Moon-Kim Daejeon will be held many times in the years to come, as long as Dong-ju Moon is in the right pitching order against the KIA.