This is the level of God... Throwing the "Great Pitcher" fastball at 144km, throwing it at 130km, does this make sense?

This is the level of God... Throwing the "Great Pitcher" fastball at 144km, throwing it at 130km, does this make sense?

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You've reached the level of God.

KIA Tigers' 'Great Pitcher' Yang Hyun-jong is smoothly improving his physical condition ahead of the opening of the regular season.

Yang took the mound as a starter in an exhibition game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 11th, and pitched four innings of one run, raising expectations for the 2025 season. Although it was obvious that he gave up a timely hit to Kim Joo-won after hitting a double by the first-runner Kim Hyung-joon in the third inning and catching two out-counts, he showed stable pitching overall. He threw 65 pitches during four innings, recording three hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and one run.

"Yang Hyun-jong was in charge of four innings as planned," Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho said. "Yang is improving his condition well in time for the regular season." Yang himself said, "I think I have improved overall, compared to the Okinawa practice game in Japan. I feel like I am well prepared as planned."

Yang threw 44 fastballs, 11 change-ups, eight curves and two sliders. What stood out, however, was his fastball speed. He hit the maximum speed of 144 kilometers. What matters was the minimum speed of his fastball. The gap between the maximum and the minimum speed of 130 kilometers was huge.

Pitchers can change the speed of their pitches differently, but the gap is not that wide. This is especially true for fastballs. While breaking balls are relatively easier to control their speed, fastballs are intentionally slow-throwing. Lee Yong-chan of the NC Dinosaurs had showdowns with each other on the day, recording a maximum of 146 kilometers and a minimum of 141 kilometers. In most cases, his speed drops due to lack of strength or balance, and few pitchers intentionally throw fastballs slowly.

There was a reason. It was very intentional. Yang Hyun-jong said, "I controlled the strength and weakness of the fast ball today. I did a lot of tests in various ways. It's an exhibition game, so I think it's good to test it in various ways."

If the fastball speed can be adjusted freely in this way, it can have the same effect as adding another breaking ball pitch. Also, if you throw a slow ball and go fast, a 140km ball may feel like 150km from the batter's point of view.

Yang used to be a powerful pitcher when he was young, but as he got older, he has become a "snack-style pitcher" who can compete by combining location and ball. Adjusting the strength and weakness of fastballs should be considered as an extension of the technique. Will he be able to show off his ability to control fastballs and cook batters during the regular season. 스포츠토토