Cho Sang-woo, "I think all KIA bullpens are a must-win group, all pitchers are good."After joining the Tigers, 'On high alert'
Cho Sang-woo, "I think all KIA bullpens are a must-win group, all pitchers are good."After joining the Tigers, 'On high alert'
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Cho Sang-woo, who holds the "key" of the KIA Tigers' mound in the 2025 season, successfully completed his fourth bullpen pitching in the spring camp.
Cho Sang-woo threw a bullpen session at the Great Park Ballpark in Irvine, Orange County, California on the 8th (local time) and cleared his pitches by throwing a total of 34 pitches.
Immediately after pitching in the bullpen, Cho Sang-woo said, "Today's pitching was good. I think he's getting better as he throws more," adding, "He's raising his pace faster compared to previous spring camps."
After achieving the combined championship in the 2024 season, Kia faced an unexpected loss of power during the stove league. There is a variable that setup man Jang Hyun-sik will transfer to the LG Twins (free contract).
Jang defended Kia's back door with five wins, four losses and a 3.94 ERA in 75 ⅓ innings last year. Notably, he pitched in five games against the Samsung Lions in the Korean Series, and played a critical role in Kia's "V12" by allowing one hit, three walks and three strikeouts in five innings.
KIA had been aiming to win the title for the second consecutive year, but pitched a game to fill the void left by Jang. It handed over 1 billion won in cash and the first and fourth rounds of the 2026 Rookie Draft to the Kiwoom Heroes, and acquired Cho Sang-woo in a trade.
Cho Sang-woo showed good pitching with an ERA of 3.18 in 44 games, 39 ⅔ innings, one loss, six saves and nine holds in Kiwoom in the 2024 season when he returned from military service. Considering the two-year absence and the strong winds of riding and pitching throughout the league, he received a report card that could give him a good score.
KIA will build one of the best bullpen teams in the 10 clubs as Cho Sang-woo joined the existing must-win groups such as Kwak Do-gyu, Choi Ji-min, Jeon Sang-hyun and Jung Hae-young. Starting with ace James Nail, the starting team is also equipped with a solid rotation of new foreign pitchers Adam Oler, Yang Hyun-jong and Yoon Young-chul, so the pitching power is considered a favorite.
If Cho plays his part in the setup man position as envisioned, Kia will be able to challenge for the second consecutive year to win the title. Many of its teammates also mention Cho as key to its performance in the 2025 season.
Rather, Cho said, "I am amazed by the sharp pitching capabilities of the team's pitchers since the beginning of the KIA spring camp. He is using this opportunity to renew his commitment and boost his pace.
In fact, KIA pitching staff showed off their good condition side by side from the beginning of the spring camp, making manager Lee Bum-ho and pitching coach Jung Jae-hoon happy. With the depth thickening regardless of starting or bullpen, and fiery competition to enter the opening entry, the players have sweated throughout the season.
Cho Sang-woo said, "All KIA pitchers are really good. The starting lineup is good as a starting team, and the bullpen is throwing good pitches that almost all of them seem to be in a must-win group." 메이저놀이터
"All the pitchers had good ball power, so I was stimulated and thought I should do better," he said. "I think healthy tension is essential. When synergy occurs, we can all become stronger together. I will try to do better."