Lightning-quick pitches no longer anomaly in fast and furious KBO

Home > Sports > Baseball

Lightning-quick pitches no longer anomaly in fast and furious KBO

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 16:39 Updated: 22 Apr. 2025, 20:37

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Moon Dong-ju pitches during a KBO game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on March 27. [YONHAP]

Throwing 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour) is no longer a rare talent, but it is becoming the baseline in the 2025 KBO season, which has already seen 10 pitchers record speeds of 155 kilometers per hour.

The surge in velocity marks a turning point. Pitchers are throwing harder and with more precision, thanks to better training and raw talent.

No team embodies this shift more than the Hanwha Eagles, who claim five of the league’s 10 fastest arms, including Moon Dong-ju, whose fastball reached 159.7 kilometers per hour this year. He also became the first Korean pitcher to officially crack 160 kilometers per hour, recording 160.1 kilometers per hour against the Kia Tigers on April 12, 2023.

The Eagles' bullpen is stacked with power. Kim Seo-hyun has hit 158.4 kilometers per hour, and 19-year-old rookie Jeong Woo-joo has reached 155.9 kilometers per hour.

Foreign aces Ryan Weiss, at 157.7 kilometers per hour, and Cody Ponce, at 157.1 kilometers per hour, are also in the top five, giving the club a reputation as the KBO’s premier fastball factory.

The velocity boom isn’t limited to veterans or imports. Three rookies in their teens or early 20s have elbowed their way into the top 10 this year.

The LG Twins' Kim Young-woo, 20, has hit 156.9 kilometers per hour, while the Samsung Lions' Bae Chan-seung, 19, has recorded 155.8 kilometers per hour. Both were first-round draft picks this season.

LG Twins pitcher Kim Young-woo [LG TWINS]

The Kiwoom Heroes' Lee Kang-jun, a sidearmer, has thrown 156.3 kilometers per hour and is the only non-overhand pitcher in the group.

Former pitcher and commentator Choi Won-ho isn’t surprised.

“Muscle strength peaks in the mid-20s,” he said. “If young players manage their bodies well, they have a lot of upside.”

What’s changed is not just the arms, but the approach. Eagles pitching coach Yang Sang-moon credits the increase to better physical conditioning and smarter training.

“In the past, pitchers threw harder by forcing it, often with wild mechanics,” he said. “Now players are better built and their training is more structured. They can throw fast and still hit their spots. We’re seeing more pitchers who can actually pitch at this level.”

But even the best training can only do so much.

“About 80 percent of velocity comes from natural ability,” said Kim Kwang-soo, a trainer who works with Eagles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin in the offseason. “Good coaching accounts for 10 percent, suitable weight training is 5 percent and individual potential and efforts make up about 5 percent."

Both Jeong, at 184 centimeters (6 feet), and Bae, at 180 centimeters, are proof that speed isn’t all about size. They’re not especially tall for pro pitchers.

But they have elite body control and explosive mechanics that allow them to generate top-tier velocity.

“Jeong Woo-joo has this incredible ability to concentrate all his power into one instant,” Yang said. “That’s not something you can teach.”

The influx of young fireballers may be partly generational. The surge can be traced back to Korea’s gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which inspired a wave of youth interest in baseball.

“The bigger the talent pool, the better your odds of finding a gem,” Kim Kwang-soo said.

The Eagles' trio of power arms also illustrates just how varied the path to velocity can be.

"When you look at players like Moon Dong-ju or Bae Chan-seung, their pitching form is really smooth and clean," Yang said, "They’ve mastered the technique of throwing faster pitches with less wild, more refined mechanics compared to power pitchers of the past.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]