“It was my last time, so I wanted to do better….”
Hanwha Eagles homegrown ace Moon Dong-ju was unable to reap the rewards of his last game this season.
Moon threw 105 pitches in 4 1/3 innings against the visiting LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday, allowing 11 hits (one home run), two walks, two strikeouts and three runs (three earned).
The offense and bullpen kept him from taking the loss, but it was a bittersweet final outing for a pitcher who had made a particularly strong impression this year.
Moon’s season came to an early end after he reached the 120 innings pitched in a season (120 innings), which was set early by the club to prevent injuries.
Moon finished the 2023 season with a record of 8-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 23 games and 118⅔ innings pitched.
It was a significant rebound from last season (1-3 with a 5.65 ERA in 13 games), when he bounced between struggles and injuries.
“I took a lot of hits and had a lot of unfavorable ball counts, so overall, I was very disappointed,” Moon said after the game.
“I pitched as hard as I could with the thought that it was the last inning,” he said, adding that his pitches were not as perfect as he thought and were not balanced.
“I got three hits in the first inning, and I think I was just trying not to get hit (more), so the count got longer,” he said.
In terms of the season, he said, “I’d give myself a 100 just for making it through the starting rotation without getting hurt,” but added, “I’ll have to think about other baseball things.”
Moon now has about three weeks to prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“I think I need to be grateful for the club’s consideration,” Moon said, adding that he hopes to return with good results at the Asian Games.
“I think I will have to work harder to prepare for the Asian Games, even if it is because of my disappointment in the regular season,” he said.
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho told Moon Dong-ju, “I want to tell you that you had a difficult season.” 파워볼