What kind of moving drama will Jang Won-joon direct?
For Doosan Bears fans, the name Jang Won-joon is an unforgettable three letters. Not the star of the Bears franchise. Born in Busan, the color of the Lotte Giants was strong.
But when I played for Doosan, the impact was great. He decided to receive a huge sum of 15 billion won ahead of the 2015 season and joined the free agency. However, with Jang Won-joon joining, the ‘Doosan Dynasty’ began. With foreign pitchers, Jang Won-joon as a native ace defended the mound in the regular season and post-season, Doosan’s power became solid. In this way, he won the Korean Series for consecutive seasons in 2015 and 2016. That marked the beginning of the dynasty, and Doosan made a tremendous achievement by advancing to the Korean Series for 7 consecutive seasons until 2021.
But maybe it was because he threw too much when he was doing well. It fluttered brilliantly until the 2017 season, but suddenly started to fall from the 2018 season. Both pitch and ball faltered, failing to show off the power he had shown before. It wasn’t even that he had any particularly major injuries, such as his shoulder or elbow. Both Jang Won-joon and Doosan only had a frustrating time.
I tried to make another leap as a veteran bullpen, but it wasn’t easy. Ahead of this season, he stood at the crossroads of his retirement. He spent 5 years of wasted time from 2018, and his age was 37 years old. However, meeting new coach Lee Seung-yeop was luck for Jang Won-joon. Coach Lee, who knows the heart of a star player better than anyone else, encouraged Jang Won-joon to take on a final challenge because he would have regrets if he ended it like this.
That’s how Jang Won-joon prepared for the season of pride. Although he was not included in the opening roster, he pitched consistently as a starter in the second team. And the opportunity came. Selected against Samsung Lions in Jamsil on the 23rd. It is a temporary starting concept due to the injuries of starting pitchers such as Kwak Bin and Dylan, but it is an invaluable opportunity for Jang Won-jun. He can show ‘I’m not dead yet’ in front of his home fans, and his 130 individual wins are at stake. On May 5, 2018, a scoreless victory in 6 innings of a Children’s Day match against the LG Twins was his 129th win.
And the really desperate problem of survival is also connected. There are no players who want to play baseball only in the second team. My goal is to play for the first team. You have to leave a strong impression with this pitch to get a place in the first team, whether you are a starter or a bullpen.
First of all, the atmosphere is not bad. He is said to have exceeded expectations when throwing as a starter in the second team. It is said that it is a ball that is good enough to match with hitters, even if it is not as good as in its heyday. However, even if he throws well this time, it may be difficult to become a permanent starter right away. This is because Kwak Bin and Dylan are preparing to come back after recovering from injuries. No matter how great a pitcher he was, it is unreasonable to say that he can outperform native aces and foreign pitchers right away. If the Doosan rotation continues to run normally, this opportunity could be the last chance for Jang Won-jun to start.먹튀검증
Even if the Samsung match is sluggish, who can throw a stone at Jang Won-joon? It is a starting mound that will stand again after 958 days since October 2020. That alone resonates with the fans a lot. Whether you win or lose, Doosan fans will applaud you.