An Woo-jin in 2023 surpasses An Woo-jin in 2022?
It’s not impossible. Although it is early in the season, the strikeout parade of Ahn Woo-jin (24), the ace of Kiwoom and the best pitcher in the KBO league, is surprising. On the 19th, Woojin Ahn gave up 5 hits, 10 strikeouts, 1 walk and 2 runs in 6 innings against the Gocheok Samsung Game. He recorded double-digit strikeouts three times in four games this season.
In the opening game against Hanwha on the 1st, Ahn Woo-jin had 5 hits, 12 strikeouts, and 2 walks in 6 innings. On the 7th, Changwon NC Game gave up 2 hits (1 home run), 12 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 run in 7 innings. Against Gocheok Doosan on the 13th, 6 innings, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, no run.
He struck out 39 strikeouts in 25 innings in 4 games. The number of strikeouts per 9 innings was 14.04. For reference, Ahn Woo-jin caught 224 strikeouts in the 2022 season, and it was 10.29 per 9 innings. The strikeout pace at the beginning of the season is steeper than last year, which was the best ever.
An Woo-jin’s 224 strikeouts last year surpassed Choi Dong-won’s (223K) and set a new record for the most strikeouts in a season by a domestic pitcher in the KBO League. Ariel Miranda, who played for Doosan in the 2021 season, was only one short of the most strikeouts (225K) in a single season. This season, Ahn Woo-jin is poised to surpass 225K.
Of course, it’s only his first four games of the season. The sample is too small. He may lose his strikeout pace if he loses stamina while playing a long race. However, Ahn Woo-jin is a monster ace who has no choice but to catch a lot of strikeouts naturally without being conscious of strikeouts.
Woojin Ahn consistently shoots fastballs in the late 150km range this season as well. Although the first 160km title based on the Sports to I PTS was handed over to junior Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), no one surpasses An Woo-jin in terms of average fastball speed. It is No. 1 in the KBO League in terms of pitch, pitch quality, and game management ability.
Coach Hong Won-ki emphasized to An Woo-jin over the years that the ability to stably lead long innings is more important than the desire to strike out. In real life, Ahn Woo-jin shows such an appearance. Extreme control and command ups and downs are a thing of the past. Commands for the four-seam, main weapon, slider, changeup, and curve are also the highest in the league. He has good command and fights with timing using fast balls and slow breaking balls, so it is natural for him to strike out a lot.
Here, as he confessed in the demonstration game, he threw while paying attention to his arm swing, and as the RBI increased, the vertical movement increased by about 10 cm. The power of the curveballs that curve sideways is bound to be maximized. It is also the reason why there is not so much meaning in the use of the sweeper, which is currently in vogue.
It’s obvious, but if you don’t get sick and manage your physical strength well, there is no reason why An Woo-jin in 2023 can’t surpass An Woo-jin in 2022.안전놀이터 Strikeout, overall performance. The year 2023 of An Woo-jin is the time to prove that An Woo-jin’s monstrous performance in 2022 was not a coincidence. It’s a flaw that Seungwoon doesn’t follow. 1 win 1 loss ERA 1.08 in 4 games.